Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers and forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34). Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Bill Simmons slams Bucks: 'The Midwest Lakers'

By Adam Taylor | Last updated Nov 6, 2024 9:33 AM ET

After the first seven games of the new NBA season, the Milwaukee Bucks are rooted to the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Doc Rivers' team has secured one win and is on a six-game losing streak.

The Bucks have been poor on both sides of the basketball court, ranking 20th in offensive rating and 22nd in defensive rating. Currently, there's no sign of improvement from the roster, and there doesn't appear to be many moves left for the front office to make.

During a recent episode of "The Bill Simmons Podcast," the veteran NBA analyst slammed the 2021 NBA champions. He labeled them as the "Midwest Lakers," pointing to their lack of roster depth and an aging All-Star who is limited on the defensive end.

"They’re basically the Midwest Lakers," Simmons said. "They have an awesome big man, they have an aging offensive star who doesn’t play defense. They have nobody else on the team that can play defense and they have no bench. Unlike the Lakers, there’s no fixes…I don’t see a fix. It’s an atrocious defensive team."

The Bucks are supposed to be a contending team. They have a top-10 player in the world in Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Damian Lillard is among the most talented point guards in the league. Brook Lopez is also supposed to be a defensive anchor that helps keep the team level when the pressure turns up.

Unfortunately, Lopez is clearly past his prime, and the Lillard experiment is failing spectacularly. Even Khris Middleton, who has missed the start of the season due to injury, has begun to show signs of slowing down. His first step looked notably slower last season, and his off-the-dribble scoring has begun to decline.

Unlike the Lakers, the Bucks have already made their dice roll, bringing in Lillard last season. If they can't turn their season around, the current roster could be stripped of its assets to facilitate a rebuild. Losing Giannis would be a bitter pill to swallow, though.

Milwaukee is in free fall. It must find a way to bounce back and prove it is still a top-tier team. Otherwise, Simmons' assessment could emerge as fact, at which point, it's only a matter of time until a hard reset occurs.

Adam Taylor

Adam Taylor is a sports journalist based out of the UK. Adam has been covering the NBA for nearly a decade with a core focus on the Boston Celtics. He currently holds bylines with Yardbarker, SB Nation and USA Today

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