Milwaukee Bucks: Uncomfortable reasons for exit shouldn’t be overlooked

For all of the examination of why the Milwaukee Bucks lost to the Miami Heat, the roles of Mike Budenholzer and Giannis Antetokounmpo cannot be overlooked.

In the aftermath of the Milwaukee Bucks‘ brutally disappointing exit from the postseason, the post mortem is still ongoing.

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, there’s an element of the blame game in trying to unpack just where exactly it all went wrong for the Bucks, but what’s maybe most interesting is how that blame is being attributed.

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The Milwaukee Bucks underperformed greatly in their series with the Heat. This is not news. Since the Bucks were rudely escorted off the Walt Disney World property by Miami, the team has continued to be a hot topic in NBA news because of what will be coming next with the franchise.

From Mike Budenholzer’s job security and the need to upgrade roster, to Giannis Antetokounmpo and social media unfollows, to his three hour meeting with Marc Lasry; the Bucks have been in the news on a near daily basis.

Most of this news is about Giannis, and with good reason. Surprisingly, though, it has been about what the owners can do for him, what the general manager will be able to do for him, and how the roster needs to be improved for him. This is how the NBA rolls; I get it. Giannis is the superstar. Giannis has earned his place in NBA superstardom. Regular season superstardom, granted, but nonetheless, superstardom. He gets to have his say, or he possibly leaves Milwaukee. I get it.

Now, I do not disagree with all of the news about the necessity to spend and upgrade the roster. Kyle Korver was too one-dimensional. Pat Connaughton was not good enough to be a rotational player in the playoffs. Eric Bledsoe most likely will not be suiting up in a Milwaukee Bucks uniform again. Yet, Bledsoe and the rest of the supporting cast is not why the Bucks are not playing this week. When taking in all of the reaction, I cannot help but think that the narrative of how and why the Bucks lost to the Heat has somehow started to veer away from its key elements.

For all of the talk of role players, ownership, and front office decisions, the play of the MVP and the coaching malfeasance displayed by Coach Mike Budenholzer are central reasons as to why the Bucks are not playing.

In fact, I would say, most of the team played exactly how Bucks’ fan expect them to in playoffs. Did anyone really think Bledsoe would all of a sudden be good? It certainly could never be relied upon. Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton were both outstanding in moments. Donte DiVincenzo finally played well in the last three games of the postseason. Wesley Matthews was glued to Jimmy Butler, and was the only player who could really slow him down.

But the most significant reasons for why the Bucks truly lost is that Giannis played poorly and Coach Bud did not make any obvious adjustments until Game 5. Only one fact needs to be pointed out to highlight the inadequacy of Bud’s coaching in the series: In Games 1 and 3, Butler single-handedly won the games for Miami largely because Bud kept Matthews on the bench. In its own right, given what was at stake for the Bucks, that would seem like cause for a coaching change, and yet that doesn’t seem to be on the cards.

As for Giannis, most observers have already pointed out the obvious: he struggles shooting free throws, struggles shooting threes, and he has no go-to move, no jumper, hook shot, drop step, nothing when it comes to trying to score in the playoffs. Can Giannis lead the Bucks? Not to a championship, at least. Not yet. He has work to do on the offensive end. But, will he ever be able to shoot free throws? Will he be a dominant player that cannot be on the floor late in the fourth quarter because he cannot make a free throw?

The love thrown Giannis’ way and the media attention about his decision in the next year is well-deserved. I want him to be a Buck forever. He has earned his name at the top of the news. Hopefully, though, instead of asking what the team can do for him, he will ask himself what he can do for the team.

Once again, I am not questioning his superstardom, effort, improvement, or commitment. But unless this is the matrix, the reason the Bucks are not still playing in the playoffs falls on the coach and star who failed to perform to the level expected.