Milwaukee Bucks Roundtable: Assessing the mixed start to the season

2. Of the six games so far, which game do you think has taught us most about the Bucks, and which do you believe will prove to have been most indicative of what they’re going to be this season?

RD: I think the game that has taught us most about the Bucks was the game in Boston against the Celtics on October 30. The Bucks led for nearly three whole quarters and lost the lead as the third quarter was ending. Last season, the Milwaukee Bucks were one of the best teams in the third quarter and, if anything, this third quarter proves that the Bucks have work to do. Once they lost the lead, they were never able to get it back as the Celtics were nearly unstoppable from behind the arc.

I think the game that will prove who the Bucks will be for the rest of the season was the game against the Raptors. The Bucks only won by 10 points but they proved that they can once again beat top teams in the NBA. Sure, the Raptors aren’t the team they were last season with the departure of Kawhi Leonard but they are still a threat in the East with talents like Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam. One thing we have seen with the Bucks this season is the ability to build up a large lead and then let teams get back into it, cutting leads to within a few points. I think the ability to close games in the fourth quarter will be a storyline that fans should pay attention to for the remainder of the season.

JT: Like Ryan said, I think the Raptors and Celtics games are both interesting comparisons to draw from so far this Bucks season. Both the Raptors and Celtics rebounded from poor shooting starts and eventually did plenty of damage from both the three-point line and from the free throw line. And allowing a 38-point third quarter to the Celtics and a 40-point third period to the Raptors have put the Bucks’ early second half struggles into a greater light with each passing game.

Of course, the Bucks were able to hold on against the Raptors, doing what they couldn’t do in their loss to the Celtics, but it makes the Bucks’ early questions, such as their offensive balance and their fouling woes, something to correct as we move forward throughout the season.

LB: Cleveland. It just feels like the Bucks are going to be totally fine coasting against much of the weaker Eastern Conference. And, as they’ve shown against every 2018 playoff team, they’re also content with putting up a strong effort for two quarters and hoping that’s enough to get them through. Outside of Boston, Giannis has shown he can flip a switch and take over when the team absolutely needs him too. I just wish they wouldn’t have to rely on that so much going forward.

JC: The most recent game against the Toronto Raptors. This game showed us a lot actually in my mind. The Raptors are not a bad team, and the Bucks blew them out of the water in the first half. The Bucks looked like they were playing confident and angry, especially Giannis. It seemed almost like last year’s team when they were clicking on all cylinders, but once again the second half struggles made the game interesting. Giannis took over late in the game and pushed the Bucks into adding another win. I think this game proves that Giannis is so much better when he does not overthink. He shot 7-of-10 from the free throw line, and he made that dagger of a three at the end of the game. After rewatching the game, Giannis’ free throws looked a little more fluid. It appears that he has made adjustments to be more successful at the line. Giannis was also “forced” to shoot that dagger three as the shot clock was winding down, but I think that single shot alone showed us something. Instead of eyeing up the rim, Giannis fluidly shot the basketball. When he does that, it seems he shoots at higher clips. Giannis’ shooting is a huge confidence thing, so I think once he realizes not to overthink he will be just fine. The Bucks do not need him to be a three-point specialist, but if he can begin to shoot consistently in the mid-to-low 30s percentage-wise, the already “Greek Freak” just may get a little freakier.

DL: The Bucks’ performance against Toronto on Saturday night is probably the best representation of what we can expect of them.

Even though things went down to the wire in that game, it was their finest performance of the season to date. They utterly dominated the Raptors for the first two quarters on both ends of the floor, even though they were playing them on the second night of a back-to-back. To play at that level, against one of the better teams in the East, was no small feat.

It looks like they’re already ironing out some of the kinks they’ve shown in their play. They’re going to be much closer to that Saturday night performance as the season progresses than they are to the poor games we saw in their first four outings.

AM: I think the Magic game is most indicative as there are going to be so many games against Eastern Conference opponents where they cruise to 20-30 point wins.

I think it speaks volumes of what’s happened since that point, but I’m kind of amazed nobody brought up the Rockets game. The Bucks started terribly against a good team, and had it within them not to panic and kind of just simply claw their way back in, and ultimately take the win. That’s what good teams do, and it’s deserving of attention as a counterpoint to what went wrong against Miami and Boston.