Former Bucks guard calls out problems with his old team

Jeff Teague was the backup point guard when the Milwaukee Bucks won it all in 2021, so he's uniquely suited to analyze what the current iteration of the Bucks (1-4) needs to do differently.

On the "Club 520" podcast, Teague and his co-hosts described the Bucks' biggest problem as figuring out how All-Stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard can play together. While both players are averaging 28 points per game or better, Milwaukee is only 17th in offensive rating. The most glaring issue is the team's 16 turnovers per game against only 22.3 assists.

"What made Milwaukee good when (former coach Mike Budenholzer) was there is that they moved the ball," Teague said. "They had isolation at times, but a lot of games, you'd see Giannis with eight assists. He might get assists now, but it's kind of forced."

The Bucks are 27th in assists per game this season. Antetokounmpo and Lillard have combined for 12 per game, a slight decrease for both of them, but among their teammates, only Taurean Prince has as many as two assists per game.

Teague argued that part of the problem was that both of Milwaukee's stars want to have the ball in their hands to initiate offense. Lillard spent over a decade as a ball-dominant guard in Portland, often with spectacular results. But after LaMarcus Aldridge departed for the San Antonio Spurs in 2015, Lillard never played with a big man who was a major offensive threat.

That's why both players are going to need to learn to share the ball in a way they might not be comfortable with if the Bucks are going to improved on their 24th-ranked offense. Teague suggested that the ideal point guard for Antetokounmpo was a versatile player who could initiate offense but also run screen-and-roll plays like a big man.

Specifically, someone like Jrue Holiday, whom the Bucks traded away to get Lillard last summer.

"Jrue can play any position," said Teague. "He was like a Swiss Army knife when it came to a point guard. Jrue will set a screen right now for Jayson Tatum and roll into the gap, or he'll play under the basket and get offensive rebounds."

It's good advice from a player who was there during Milwaukee's most successful season, winning a ring in 2021. The Bucks could have used this advice before making the trade for Lillard that's starting to look like a huge blunder.