When Giannis Antetokounmpo is off the floor, the Milwaukee Bucks fall off a cliff offensively. Some of it is due to personnel. Some of it is due to coaching. No matter who holds more of the blame, this will stop the Bucks dead in their tracks from contending unless they do something about it. Even once a capable offensive contributor in Kevin Porter Jr. returns, the Bucks need more.
Bucks' best path to bolstering offense may come externally
Porter's return from meniscus surgery after being limited to just nine minutes this season will give the Bucks a shot in the arm. On his best day, he's a 20-point scorer and capable passer who can run the offense temporarily. Getting Porter back will take pressure off of Giannis and Ryan Rollins, who has already taken on more of that responsibility than many anticipated, but is it enough? Likely not.
Milwaukee's offense has holes. Doc Rivers himself admitted it. Things look stale. When someone not named Antetokounmpo or Rollins has the ball, everything feels like the team is scrambling. AJ Green and Gary Trent Jr. have been spot up threats. Bobby Portis tries to make anything work he can. Cole Anthony is either red hot or ice cold as he shoots tough shots. There is rarely any flow.
The Bucks don't need to go and trade for another Damian Lillard-like second option, but a capable scoring threat, preferably one who can also play defense, could go a long way. Again, Porter will be great in helping this problem, but he isn't a needle-tipper. The Bucks cannot sit on their hands and expect this team to leap into the contending picture once he's back in action.
So, it begs the question: who should the team go after? Well, right now, their options are slim.
There have been rumors about the point guard trio of Ja Morant, Trae Young, and LaMelo Ball, but none of those names should attract Milwaukee. After the Damian Lillard experiment, the Bucks don't need a small guard eating a sizeable portion of the payroll. The Kings are rumored to be entertaining a fire sale. Would Zach LaVine help? Possibly, but his sizeable salary could be a turn off.
Currently, the Milwaukee Bucks will likely wait things out. A significant chunk of the roster isn't even trade-eligible until mid-December. By then, the team will likely have a look at how things look once Giannis and Porter are back. Unless the team is firing on all cylinders and on a major win streak, it will become clear how they need to proceed in tweaking the Bucks roster.
Even when healthy, they cannot continue running Giannis into the ground by playing him to simply keep their heads above water because they collapse the moment he sits. This isn't all on the players, as Doc Rivers hasn't orchestrated a smooth-sailing offense, either. He needs to get more creative and hold up his end of the bargain.
An available shot-creating two-way wing could go a long way, but getting one may be far easier said than done. It might be like finding a needle in a haystack.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.