Defense has been a prominent question mark over the past two seasons and the main issue that had some questioning whether the Milwaukee Bucks could still contend for a title.
While the overall sample size hasn't been great, the Bucks have shown in spurts that they can still be an elite defensive unit. The past 15 games have been one of those stretches. In that span, the Bucks boast the NBA's second best defensive rating, tied with the Boston Celtics. If the Milwaukee Bucks want to find a groove and string together wins, they have to keep up this level of defensive intensity.
The Milwaukee Bucks' defense has been on another level lately
It all starts with Milwaukee's stars. When Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard are locked in on that side of the ball, the role players seem to follow. Lately, everyone has been doing their part, and it has resulted in a defensive unit that can hang with the best of them no matter which five players are on the basketball court.
Unsurprisingly, a significant part of this has been Doc Rivers' reliance on youth, a change that fueled Milwaukee's early-season turnaround. In this stretch, Ryan Rollins is holding players to 31.6 percent field goal shooting, while AJ Green and Andre Jackson Jr. are both at 40 percent. Having these young and full-of-energy athletes has molded this defense into something more flexible and versatile.
While they have been formidable lately, Milwaukee's defense has showcased one major weakness in recent games, and it involves their bigs.
With a lack of athleticism and foot speed, the Bucks centers often find themselves in trouble when they are drawn away from the basket. Milwaukee's recent matchup against Orlando captured a few instances of this, particularly when Tristan da Silva blew by Bobby Portis on multiple occasions for a score right at the hoop. If there is a concern with Milwaukee's defense, this is it.
Adding some athleticism at the center spot could certainly be on the Milwaukee Bucks' to-do list with the NBA Trade Deadline on the horizon, which could make this defense even stronger.
On the season, the Milwaukee Bucks are tied for the eighth-best defensive rating in the NBA, and this recent stretch has undoubtedly helped. If they can keep playing like this on defense while getting a grip on their 14th-ranked offense, they can compete with anyone.
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