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Milwaukee Bucks should look closely at resting players going forward

By Ti Windisch

Apr 15, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Milwaukee Bucks guard Jason Terry (3) talks to forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) on the bench during a break in the action against the Toronto Raptors in game one of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Air Canada Centre. Milwaukee defeated Toronto 97-83. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 15, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Milwaukee Bucks guard Jason Terry (3) talks to forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) on the bench during a break in the action against the Toronto Raptors in game one of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Air Canada Centre. Milwaukee defeated Toronto 97-83. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Although it’s not necessarily a popular strategy, the Milwaukee Bucks might be smart to look at resting players next season and beyond.

The Milwaukee Bucks are starting to have different kinds of problems. Removed from a six-game series against the Toronto Raptors, it’s getting easy to look forward at what’s to come for Milwaukee in the not-so-distant future.

With Giannis Antetokounmpo becoming one of the best few players in the Eastern Conference, a deep Bucks playoff run seems possible as early as next season. For Milwaukee to really make noise in the postseason, players like Giannis and Khris Middleton need to be ready to go.

For that to happen, they might need to take some nights off during the regular season.

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James Harden just put up an absolute stinker of a performance against the San Antonio Spurs, costing his Houston Rockets a chance to advance to the Western Conference Finals. The high-scoring Rockets didn’t manage to score 80 points, something that just can’t happen for a team so reliant on offensive production.

As many skilled shooters as the Rockets have, they need Harden to lead them if Houston is to win anything of any significance. He missed nine of the 11 shots he took, and had more fouls and turnovers combined (12) than points scored (10.)

What happened? Before Skip Bayless interrupts this article to talk about how Harden isn’t clutch, let’s look at what ESPN’s Tom Haberstroh thinks about Harden’s postseason shortcomings:

"While it’s unclear why Harden didn’t look like himself on the court, a simpler explanation seems a whole lot more plausible:Harden was running on empty, gassed from a grueling regular season."

Harden famously (and now infamously) declared that he had no interest in resting during the regular season, as mentioned by Haberstroh in his piece. Maybe he should’ve taken a few nights off.

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It’s difficult to quantify how rest helps or doesn’t help, but it’s got to be worth noting that all three of the teams currently set to play in the Conference Finals have rested their star players during the regular season.

The San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers have all given players such as Kawhi Leonard, Stephen Curry and LeBron James nights off during the season. All of those teams are now a series away from the Finals, and those three have been some of the best playoff performers in the NBA.

The Bucks might want to consider letting Giannis sit out once or twice next season. Rest seems like a dirty word when associated with the Greek Freak, but a night off during a road game that’s the second night of a back-to-back could pay dividends when Giannis has to carry the Bucks through an elimination game in May.

Next: The Risk And Reward Of A Jabari Parker Extension

The NBA is reportedly going to work to include less back-to-backs next year, which could help alleviate the need for resting. Still, as the Milwaukee Bucks aim for loftier goals, they may need to sacrifice a game in March to better set themselves up for May, and someday even June.

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