It’s not a time to panic, but the Milwaukee Bucks are worth monitoring.
Through the first 13 games of the season, I’m not sure anyone would’ve predicted the Milwaukee Bucks to be ranked 11th in the Eastern Conference and under .500. Nevertheless, that’s exactly where the defending NBA champions currently find themselves.
Before freaking out over a slow start to the season, there is some important context that needs to be added before drawing a conclusion over the team’s first 13 games for the Bucks.
For one, the team has not been healthy all season long.
Donte DiVincenzo hasn’t played at all this season for Milwaukee as he continues to recover from an ankle injury, Brook Lopez has only played in one game this season, Jrue Holiday has missed six games, Bobby Portis has missed five games, Khris Middleton has missed seven games, and Giannis Antetokounmpo has missed one.
In short, the Bucks have not consistently had their full rotation intact at any point this season. And that matters. No matter how good Giannis can be on any given night, this is a team that flourished, at least in part, due to its depth.
If you take that away, it’s no surprise to see this team struggle.
Secondly, I think it’s important to note that the Bucks aren’t just losing bad games. In fact, of the Bucks’ seven losses this season, only two have come against non-projected playoff teams. And you can make an argument for their loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves, who were playing at the level of a playoff team at the time.
There’s really no excuse for their home loss against the San Antonio Spurs. I can’t argue with that one being a bad loss.
However, for the most part, the undermanned Bucks are losing to playoff teams. Even though you don’t want to be losing at this pace this early in the season, Milwaukee is losing games that are relatively OK to lose.
That doesn’t mean this team has to find its consistent footing quickly. They do. Especially for a team that is expected to be one of the top contenders in the Eastern Conference.
Injuries and “good losses” aside, right now the Bucks aren’t a good team. I don’t think that can be argued with at the moment.
Through the first 13 games of the season, the Bucks are ranked 12th in offensive rating and 21st in defensive rating. Simply put, that’s not going to cut it for a team that is trying to repeat as NBA champions.
The good news is that we’re not even a month into the season. A lot can change and will change. But the question that the Bucks will have to answer over the next few weeks is whether this slow start was all about health or not.
If it was, as soon as the Bucks start getting healthier we should see this team zoom up the East standings. If that’s not something we see over the next few weeks, perhaps this panic or patience question is something we should revisit.
For now, there’s no reason to panic for the Bucks. They are a team that is worth monitoring over the next few weeks, however.