Not that long ago, the Milwaukee Bucks won the 2021 NBA championship. However, it hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing for them ever since.
With three-time All-Star Khris Middleton sidelined due to a knee injury, they lost in seven games to the Boston Celtics in the 2022 Eastern Conference semifinals. Then last spring, despite finishing with the league’s best record, they got rolled four games to one in the first round of the playoffs by the Miami Heat.
Milwaukee responded by firing head coach Mike Budenholzer during the offseason and replacing him with a neophyte in Adrian Griffin. It fired Griffin last month and brought in Doc Rivers, a longtime NBA head coach.
During All-Star weekend, Giannis Antetokounmpo admitted that the turnover at head coach has been “draining.”
Coming off their embarrassment at the hands of Miami last spring, the Bucks attempted to reload during the summer by trading for future Hall of Fame guard Damian Lillard. Some thought they had assembled a superteam, but they’re just 35-21 and in third place in the Eastern Conference.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks, Doc Rivers Updates
Their defense has been a big problem, and Lillard, one of the NBA’s best backcourt players for several years, is shooting just 42.3 percent from the field and 34.1 percent from 3-point range.
On the other hand, Antetokounmpo remains on top of his game with averages of 30.8 points, 11.2 rebounds and 6.4 assists a game. On Sunday, he will make his eighth All-Star game appearance in Indianapolis at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the home of the Indiana Pacers.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks, Doc Rivers Updates
Since Rivers took over, Milwaukee is just 3-7. During that time, its offense, which ranks second in points per game on the season, has been just 24th in that category.
If the team is to win it all again, time is running out for it to start getting its act together.
