BTBP Roundtable: No Regrets for the Milwaukee Bucks

Nov 11, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Emmanuel Mudiay (0) and Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) battle for a loose ball during the second half at Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 103-102. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

2. To go along with that last question, what’s been Milwaukee’s biggest weakness through the first month or so?

AM: Rebounding is probably the obvious answer, but for me it’s the fact that they’ve been missing a ruthless streak. The Bucks have yet to win a game by more than eight points, and in spite of their dominance in a number of games, that has really hurt them, and it influences fan perception.

They should have beaten Cleveland much earlier, they allowed Denver to get into that game and steal a win, and in the first game against the Wizards, Milwaukee was easily the better team, but they never shut the door. Plain and simple, they need to become more clinical.

TW: It’s got to be consistency. Other good answers include defense and rebounding, but there have been moments the Bucks have done fairly well at both of those things.

Unfortunately, there’s also been moments they’ve been atrocious at both. Not one Buck has been good night in and night out yet–that’s what separates a young team with talent from a legitimately good team. Milwaukee needs to become consistent in everything they do, and then the wins will follow.

JT: 100 percent their defense/defensive efficiency.  It’s ultimately their style, to be a defensive-oriented team and it’s been disappointing to see them in the basement of the league in that aspect so far.

Also, it’s easy to say the new players as being the reason for their bottom-5 ranking, but some of the players that emerged as two-way players last year have not played like that this season.

JH: Rebounding. The Bucks are dead last in rebounds per game. I can guarantee they would have won the Nuggets game with a better effort on the glass, especially at the end when they gave up the go ahead tip in by Kenneth Faried.

If the Bucks can get closer to average in this department I think they will improve. Greg Monroe and Giannis Antetokounmpo have been solid rebounders but they need some support.

MH: Officially rebounding, as they rank dead last in the league, but I’ve been more frustrated with their defense.  I knew there was and still is going to be major adjustments with having new personnel, but some of the simple defensive teaching aren’t being executed.

Things like boxing out, completely crashing towards the lane when the ball is still on the perimeter and giving guys wide open looks for three.  Those type of mistakes are new and tend to drive me crazy on a game by game basis.

DL: The team’s biggest weakness has been their inability to stop runs. Through most of their first 11 games, the Bucks have looked like the equal or better team for much of the game.

However, the team has been completely unable to stop runs once a team gets hot against them.

Too often, the defense falls apart for long stretches. They’ve had major problems defending the pick-and-roll, as John Wall demonstrated Tuesday night. They’ve also been out of sync on their rotations, doubling at bad times and leaving guys wide open on the perimeter.

In addition to their defensive problems, the team also gets mired in horrible shooting slumps, especially when the second unit comes in. This was a problem after the MCW trade last season and still persists now.

Ball movement and the off-ball player movement is non-existent when the team gets into one of their nightly funks. This leads to worse shots and plenty of turnovers.

Things will undoubtedly improve as players get used to each other, but their inability to stem runs has cost them many winnable games so far this season.

Next: Who's Been The Most Valuable Buck?