What have been the Milwaukee Bucks best and worst lineups so far?

A large product of the Milwaukee Bucks injury situation early this season has been the number of lineup combinations that head coach Mike Budenholzer has needed to try. Although it can be frustrating at times, it’s something that can pay off in the long run.

Sure, we’d love to see the Bucks roll out Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday, and Brook Lopez every game and rack up some wins. But there is a benefit to playing a lot of unique lineups and it allows you to find which combinations work together and which don’t.

There may be a lineup combination that works in theory but gets lit up when put on the court or vice versa. Some lineups just have better synergy than others and it’s good to be able to find that out early, especially with role players who need specific places to fit.

The Bucks only have a handful of lineups that have played more than 20 minutes together which makes it a little difficult to trust if these will remain good or bad lineups but there are still a few that can be firmly placed as good or bad.

One of the Milwaukee Bucks’ best lineups: Holiday/Allen/Middleton/Antetokounmpo/Portis

This one should come as no surprise since it features the Bucks’ three best players, plus Grayson Allen, who has gotten off to a great start in his Bucks career, and Bobby Portis, who has filled in very well to help the Bucks rebound the ball without Brook Lopez in the starting five.

This has been the Bucks’ starting five in the last three games and has produced terrific results with a plus-32.8 net rating in 27 minutes together. They have killed it on both ends of the floor with a 124.1 offense rating and a stingy 91.4 defensive rating in their limited sample thus far.

It gives a ton of spacing for Antetokounmpo on drives with shooters like Portis, Allen, and Middleton to space the floor and to have Holiday work in the dunker spot when their superstar has the ball in his hands.

It also gives more flexibility for ball handling with Holiday and Middleton on the floor, who can each run pick and roll with Antetokounmpo while teams also worry about the threat of the shooters away from the ball.

This will certainly be a staple lineup for the Budenholzer as the season goes on, regardless of when Lopez and Donte DiVincenzo return from their respective injuries.