Another fourth-quarter collapse for the Milwaukee Bucks propelled them to another defeat against a banged-up Memphis Grizzlies team on Sunday. At Fiserv Forum, the Bucks found themselves with a double-digit lead before falling apart late and losing 132-119.
The Bucks' biggest problem all season long has been the glaring omission of interior defense; the need for an athletic big on the roster is clear for all to see. Jaren Jackson Jr. had it easy with the Bucks late, and despite the Grizzlies missing Ja Morant, the former Defensive Player of the Year just took over as the Milwaukee Bucks had no answers.
A defeat like this and the manner of it may see Jon Horst and the front office move quicker, especially after the recent trades of monumental capacity that hit the NBA over the weekend.
Jaren Jackson Jr. is the a clear example of Bucks' biggest problem
Jackson went off on Sunday night for 37 points and five rebounds on 46.2 percent shooting from the field, including going 7-of-13 (53.8 percent) from deep. It is not the first time that Jackson has gone off against the Bucks, and considering there was no Morant, it proves how big a problem this one issue of the interior defense is for the Bucks.
Only two other times this season has he scored more than 37 points, and they were against the lowly Washington Wizards and the Phoenix Suns, who are struggling as a whole and particularly at the center position.
The frontcourt issues have been amplified by Bobby Portis missing time, leaving Brook Lopez having to play extra game time and in situations when he likely wouldn't be there.
We know Lopez struggles guarding at the perimeter, and teams are just taking advantage of that, leaving him in two minds as to stay or go defensively. That leads to Jackson hitting a high number of threes on a really good percentage. This is a strong Bucks roster, but the age and lack of athleticism are so glaring that in some games, they don't stand a chance and look levels below their opposition.
Where the Bucks find the answers may be with Tyler Smith and Chris Livingston to freshen up the rotation. They might not be traditional big men, but they both have the tools to answer the Bucks' questions. Doc Rivers, to his credit, made big calls early on this season by letting Andre Jackson Jr. and AJ Green off the training wheels. They have both been huge for Milwaukee this season, so Smith and Livingston might be next.
Milwaukee is in a weird position as they sit fifth in the East with a 26-22 record. Visually, it is not good on the court, but they are of no real threat of dropping into the play-in and are not far off from the top three, so experimenting may be worth it just to see how it can go. There is no harm in trying.
If they don't manage to make a trade before the deadline, it might be expected for them to try to shake something up in-house, even with someone like AJ Johnson being brought back from the Wisconsin Herd to provide some sort of energy to a team that is really lacking it right now.
There is still plenty of time left for the Milwaukee Bucks to make a move or figure things out, but with how big the Luka Doncic trade was and how no one expected it, Horst may need to act fast to get his desired target.
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