Bucks' infuriating Doc Rivers problem couldn't possibly get worse

The Milwaukee Bucks sorely needed Giannis Antetokounmpo last time out against the Raptors. That much was clear. As he all too often does, however, Doc Rivers made matters worse by bungling his available rotations, stubbornly sticking to what clearly wasn't working.

Somehow, in a season full of dubious, at times ludicrous lineup choices, the Bucks head coach continues to achieve new lows. It can't possibly get worse, can it?

Rivers' response: hold my beer. 

Head-scratching rotations doomed any chance at a comeback

In all seriousness, Sunday's loss delivered one of his most infuriating performances of late. Kyle Kuzma and AJ Green both struggled in the starting five, going 2-for-9 for six points. Yet Kuzma played 18 minutes in the first three quarters alone. Green played 26 minutes in all despite barely touching the floor in the final period. By that point, the game was all but over, and Rivers called in his mop-up crew with 6:33 remaining. 

Why didn't he change it up earlier? Start Kuzma, fine, but be ready to move on. Some days he'll have it; some days he won't. He's inconsistent. It's okay to adapt on the fly, especially when someone like Ousmane Dieng is sitting on the bench. 

That's where he's been since playing big minutes as a starter in Darvin Ham's lineup against the Thunder. No, Dieng didn't do much in a scoreless outing against Toronto, but Rivers didn't give him much of a chance. Dieng played eight first-half minutes and then sat out until garbage time. That should do wonders for his confidence.

More problematic than Rivers' initial decisions in the starting five is his reluctance or refusal to adjust. Giving Green such a long leash, as an undersized wing matched up with RJ Barrett in Toronto's starting five, was a perplexing decision. Over the past two games, he has played 56 minutes despite shooting 1-for-10 for three points. When shooting is the name of his game, that's a tough way to go. 

Perhaps most bizarrely of all, Bucks fans got a glimpse of Pete Nance at small forward. Yes, we want to see Nance get his chances, but at his actual position, which is the four. Instead, Rivers paired him with one of Ryan Rollins or Kevin Porter Jr., Cam Thomas, Bobby Portis, or Jericho Sims. Nance came up with an empty box score in his five minutes and missed both his 3-point attempts. How was he even supposed to succeed?

Thinking outside the box is one thing - it's better than being stubborn - but the above lineup hardly seems ideal or even logical. While Nance is a fairly switchable defender, as well as a solid passer and floor spacer, he's not quite equipped to play three. It was an awkward sight. Sure, the Bucks suffered from a lack of size and physicality against Toronto, but what they really needed was positional size and strength, not a three-man frontcourt.

Instead of Sims or Portis, trotting out Nance with Kuzma or Dieng, both of whom can serve as a small forward of sorts, only made too much sense. 

In fairness, it's not all on Rivers. Some nights he just doesn't have options. To his credit, Rivers gave Kuzma fewer than five minutes in the second half. But at that point, the damage was done. What was he supposed to do with Kuzma, Green, and Dieng all having off nights? His guards lapsed into stagnant isolations; no one could hit a shot. 

I don't know, Coach, figure it out. That's what they're paying you for. With Giannis being the only regular unavailable, Rivers had a mostly full deck of cards to work with. Unfortunately, his lineup decisions once again had the Bucks drawing dead.