The Milwaukee Bucks’ defense has been a popular point of discussion amongst fans, the media, and the players alike. It also hasn’t gone unnoticed by the team's star player, Giannis Antetokounmpo. After a 112-108 loss to the Houston Rockets, Giannis shared his frustration with his team's defensive efforts.
Lack of defensive identity
The Bucks used to be one of the NBA’s fiercest-defending squads, but that has since changed with the acquisition of Damian Lillard and Malik Beasley. While the offensive capabilities of the above players are beyond reproach, their defensive tendencies leave much to be desired. As such, the Bucks are ranked in the bottom 10 of opponent’s points per game and defensive rating.
Giannis has spoken up several times about the team’s lack of focus on the defensive end. However, it appears the message has not entirely sunk in yet. In their most recent game against the Rockets, the Bucks fell behind by 20, 63-43, in the first half as the Rockets capitalized on their defensive lapses.
“Guys were just driving the ball, straight line drive, getting to the paint, overhelping, shooting threes, offensive rebounds. There was nothing. This was not who we are. This is not who we are,” Giannis shared after the game.
Different story in the second half
As the Rockets’ lead ballooned to 21, the Bucks played more urgently and locked in on the defensive end. They won the third and fourth quarters to make the game a little interesting down the stretch, but it still wasn’t enough. Giannis liked what he saw from the Bucks in the second half, emphasizing that they need to bring that type of effort and intensity every night.
“The second half, we were better. Third quarter we were better. Fourth quarter we were better. We won both quarters. Yeah, we went out there and competed, we make it harder, pre-switch, fronted the post, put our hands in the ball, made it tough for them, got every rebound that we could. We made it tough. That’s who we are,” Giannis added.
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