With the regular season beginning to wind down, the Milwaukee Bucks are looking to finish strong in what has been a turbulent year on all fronts.
Despite having their most talented roster on paper over the last three seasons, the Bucks have faced the most adversity this year compared to any of the others under head coach Mike Budenholzer. They currently sit at third place in the Eastern Conference standings with a 35-21 overall record.
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The biggest takeaway from the team this year has been their inconsistencies varying from game to game. They have seen the highs with lengthy win streaks and endured the lows with their share of losing streaks along the way.
Part of that can be attributed to various injuries and absences from marquee players in the lineup at several points throughout the season, along with trying to build chemistry with this reformed roster that continues undergoing changes.
Sure, adversity can be great at times for a contending team. Milwaukee breezing through the regular season in historical fashion in each of the past two years was great until adversity appeared in the playoffs. They looked vulnerable because it was something new. Several Bucks have discussed this topic throughout the season, stating that these struggles will make them a better team by preparing them for when things get tough.
Still, there is some justifiable reasoning to show concern about the Bucks at this point in time. This is a team that is supposed to be competing at the forefront of a championship, but several issues that were prominent causes of their failure from each of the past two postseasons are still hindering them to this point.
Whether or not they can correct these issues remains to be seen, but the clock is ticking. With that being said, here are three concerns surrounding the team with 16 regular season games left to play.
The Milwaukee Bucks continue racking up turnovers
Before the All-Star break, the Bucks were one of the better teams in the association at taking care of the basketball, racking up the seventh-fewest turnovers at 13.6 per game. That ball control played a pivotal part in their success, but they have gotten somewhat careless with the ball following the time off.
In 20 games following the All-Star break, the Bucks currently rank 23rd in producing 14.9 turnovers per game. Milwaukee’s opponents have subsequently capitalized on these opportunities by scoring 15.7 points off these turnovers per game. That ranks right in the middle of the pack at the 16th most in the NBA, which is a glaring issue for this contending team.
This was beyond evident in Milwaukee’s 128-115 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night, where the Bucks racked up a whopping 16 turnovers. To their credit, the Grizzlies lived up to their status as the team that capitalizes the most off their opponent’s turnovers by putting an extra 24 points on the board in this one. In a 13-point defeat, allowing Memphis to rack up that many points off mistakes undoubtedly stings from Milwaukee’s perspective.
It was an ugly outing, and the Bucks must emphasize taking better care of the basketball down the stretch and into the playoffs. If they continue turning the ball over this frequently, teams will take advantage and keep scoring again and again.