Milwaukee Bucks Aren’t Good Enough To Worry About Tanking

The Milwaukee Bucks don’t have to worry about tanking because the sad reality is that they’re just not very good.

Even the most pessimistic of Milwaukee Bucks fans was not projecting this prior to the start of this season. The way in which the Bucks season has panned out is neither what anyone really wanted or expected, but we’ve long reached a point where it is what it is now.

This raises a whole host of questions, but there’s one that has seemed to permeate through the fanbase more than any other.

Any time we open up our mailbag for questions for our podcast it’s almost inevitable to be asked the following question: “Should the Bucks tank?”

More from Bucks News

• Bucks 2023-24 player profile: Can MarJon Beauchamp take a leap?
• Piecing together the Milwaukee Bucks’ dream starting 5 in 5 years
• Predicting Thanasis Antetokounmpo’s 2023-24 stats for the Bucks
• Grade the trade: Bucks land reputable backup guard in swap with Pacers
• New workout video should have Milwaukee Bucks fans excited

Milwaukee has now lost five straight, having been swept on a west coast road trip which didn’t exactly include the most intimidating collection of opponents.

They rank 26th in net rating, -4.8 points worse off than their opponents per 100 possessions. They also rank 26th in defensive rating at 106.2 points allowed per 100, while the 24th best offensive rating of 101.5 is nowhere near enough to counter balance that negativity.

At 20-32, the Bucks are seven games back of the eighth seed and very simply, the playoffs are not going to factor into the equation of this season. To get back to that question, the answer is very sample.

The 2015-16 Milwaukee Bucks have no real need to tank as they’re not good regardless.

That doesn’t have to be a major problem, it doesn’t have to detract from the long term hopes for this team, and it can, of course, be chalked up as a learning experience.

With the decision to move on from veteran players last summer, the young core were given the opportunity to shape their own path to success in many ways. What’s become increasingly clear is that they’re not quite comfortable in their own skin yet.

The closing possession in Utah on Friday night was evidence of that too. Considering his recent play and the reputation he has earned himself from clutch shots in the past, the Bucks wanted to put the ball in Khris Middleton‘s hands and that’s not surprising.

What’s disappointing is the unimaginative ways they continue to do that when the game is on the line. A week prior to the game against Utah, Milwaukee panicked, bundling the ball to Middleton for a desperation heave even though others had considerably better looks.

Against the Jazz, there was an almost half-hearted clear out attempt for Middleton to go iso. With the lengthy Rodney Hood for company that was never going to turn out well, and with help from Joe Ingles, the Bucks guard chucked up a desperation shot that never really seemed like it would go in.

After the game, Middleton’s comments suggested that that strategy wouldn’t necessarily be his go-to, as reported by Charles Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

"We wasted too much time, I think. We should just try to make a play sooner and drive the ball instead of trying to settle for the three the whole time."

Middleton is about as quiet and unassuming as any player in the NBA, so coming from him, that’s quite the statement. Interestingly, it seems to be the complete opposite of how his coach viewed the situation too, as Jason Kidd said:

"We could easily take the two and play the free throw game. But we were looking for the tie. I’m all about the three. I trust my guys. He took the shot he felt he could make. But it’s something for us to learn.It’s understanding we have no timeouts. We were doing a whole lot of hoping, but when a guy like Khris takes a three, you think he’s going to make one."

All those comments scream is that the Bucks haven’t come close to figuring things out yet. The players aren’t all on the same page, and the coaching staff may even be on another page, which is totally different also.

The Bucks are currently projected to pick seventh in this year’s draft, and chances are that if they keep playing as they’re playing it’ll only be a matter of time before they fall behind the Pelicans and end up positioned for the sixth pick.

Sixth overall is a valuable pick. That position would even give the team a 21.5 percent chance at a top 3 pick.

There’s no need for a calculated decision to lose games from the organization or coaching staff. The evidence suggests that unfortunately the Bucks will have plenty more defeats to deal with as the season winds down anyway.

Next: Timeout with Ti Podcast #13: James Holas

Prepare yourself for draft fever, because that’s where the bright side of this season is now!