Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways from 121-108 loss to Utah Jazz

Kidd’s increasingly hot seat

The Utah Jazz set a franchise record for three-pointers made in a single game, and had their highest scoring first half and second highest scoring game overall of the season so far. Without their best player, Rudy Gobert, as an anchor drawing attention in the middle, and an offensive specialist like Joe Johnson, the Jazz really shouldn’t be that potent.

But that kind of thing seems to happen relatively often against the Bucks, and there’s one man who must be asked to answer to that above all else.

Now into the fourth season of Jason Kidd‘s coaching tenure, Bucks fans have seen this movie over and over (and over) again. The hallmarks of what went wrong in this one aren’t going to be a surprise to Milwaukee’s fans.

The Bucks struggled against a team they really should have been able to beat without their best player. Milwaukee got picked apart defensively and gave up a host of easy three-pointers. And, of course, all of the action on the court was preceded by the latest in a long line of truly bizarre lineup changes from Kidd.

The tougher the going gets, the stranger Kidd’s adjustments have often become and Saturday was certainly no exception. As strange as Wednesday’s starting group was in Phoenix, the plethora of injuries the Bucks were dealing with at least excused Kidd’s reaching to try and stretch his options that little bit further.

With Giannis Antetokounmpo and John Henson returning to the starting lineup, conventional wisdom would have suggested that Tony Snell would retake his place in that group alongside them. Instead, Gary Payton II was given yet another puzzling start.

Even putting aside the fact Snell has done nothing to deserve losing his place in the starting lineup and that his play style is arguably better suited to playing alongside the starters, the more damning element of that decision comes in trying to examine any semblance of planning or strategy in the longer term.

If the change had worked out and the Bucks had come away with a convincing win, was the plan to stick with Payton — a player who just two months ago wasn’t deemed worthy of holding one of the team’s 15 true roster spots — for the foreseeable future?

If so, the days on Payton’s two-way contract would wind down even quicker than they currently are, and Kidd would be left searching for a new option again in the very near future. Beyond that, Kidd continues to show a lack of understanding of the impact role changes can have on his players, which is pretty puzzling considering Kidd’s own lengthy and prestigious playing career.

In the same week that Malcolm Brogdon publicly expressed his difficulties with confidence and rhythm since his own change of role, Kidd has continued to tinker with the minutes and responsibilities of the more reliable role players he has at his disposal.

Kidd’s lineup changes have often felt like they’re focused on shock value and getting a reaction out of his players more than anything else. While that can be a useful tool in any coach’s arsenal, it’s a card Kidd has played all too often.

As Milwaukee continue to frustrate with inconsistencies that have been present for years, Kidd isn’t showing any sign of having the new ideas required to buck those trends.

There’s yet to be any indication that Kidd’s leash isn’t as long as it’s always been with the owners, but considering the urgency signaled by the recent acquisition of Eric Bledsoe, a .500 record should leave Kidd looking over his shoulder.