Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways from 124-119 loss to Cleveland Cavaliers

Bucks go small

Last night, the Bucks played 15 minutes without either John Henson or Thon Maker on the court. During much of those 15 minutes Giannis Antetokounmpo was the team’s de facto center, which was by far a season-high.

With the Bucks trading away Greg Monroe, the team is left with only two traditional centers. Another roster move could be made to provide depth at the position, however, for the time being this will result in the Milwaukee Bucks playing small much more often.

The lineup change last night provided mixed results. While it did allow the Bucks to run in transition, it also resulted in Giannis being in foul trouble for a large portion of the night.

Playing small for portions of the game would be helpful for the Bucks. Quicker defenders would allow the Bucks to play their trapping, aggressive,defensive scheme more effectively, and providing Giannis with more complementary shooting is never a bad thing.

Yet, if Giannis cannot handle being the lynchpin of the defense without getting into foul trouble it will never work. Giannis is too important to the team offensively.