Panic? Patience? What is going on with the Milwaukee Bucks right now?

The Milwaukee Bucks are facing the consequences of their roster decisions

Following their title-winning campaign, it looked like the Bucks had a solid offseason as they made a handful of intriguing moves.

They traded for a promising outside shooter in Grayson Allen, which looked like a steal for the Bucks from the beginning. They signed several household veterans with players like George Hill, Rodney Hood, and Semi Ojeleye, who could all bring something to the table for the defending NBA champs, hypothetically. Yet, aside from Allen, none of the additions have quite worked out how the front office may have hoped. Hill has been passable as the backup point guard, but he is having one of his least productive seasons. However, he has still been better than Hood or Ojeleye, who have both fallen out of the rotation completely after lackluster starts to the season. The bench has suffered as a result, as they are among the worst in the association production-wise.

While there has been plenty of discourse surrounding the players the Bucks added, there has been even more on the player they let go. P.J. Tucker was the heart and soul of this Milwaukee unit throughout the postseason run last season, with his grit, toughness, and determination lighting a flame under other players every night. Unfortunately, the Bucks opted not to pay him following the title, mainly due to the team’s unwillingness to pay him to avoid luxury tax concerns. They have paid the price thus far as Tucker is now having his best NBA season yet with the Miami Heat, arguably Milwaukee’s biggest rival right now. Letting him go was a poor decision when it was announced, and it is being looked at as an even worse decision right now.

Sticking with players the Bucks controversially let go, the decision to cut DeMarcus Cousins is still head-scratching. Cousins came aboard in December to help lighten the load at the center position from Bobby Portis with Lopez sidelined, and he played rather well in his extended time. However, when it came time to pay Cousins, the front office waived him. This quickly proved to be a foolish decision as the Bucks are severely shorthanded at the center position right now, which opposing teams have taken advantage of nightly. Like Tucker, Cousins provided some energy for this Bucks team, but money concerns clouded how important he was for this team.

To be clear, not all of Milwaukee’s issues this year can be attributed to letting Tucker and Cousins go elsewhere. It hurts, but the Bucks’ roster as a whole is certainly flawed. Right now, Jon Horst and the rest of the front office need to do their due diligence around the league to make moves before the February 10 deadline.

Despite their struggles, the Bucks are still in good shape right now. They remain within striking distance of the East’s top seed and have been getting healthier as of late. They have a big month in February to seal a few statement wins and gain ground in the conference, which could work wonders for their confidence level as the postseason inches close.

Stay tuned to see if the Milwaukee Bucks can possibly turn things around in the latter portion of the 2021-22 NBA season.