The Milwaukee Bucks have begun the first-round series against the Indiana Pacers in a disastrous manner. The Bucks found themselves on the wrong end of a lopsided 117-98 final score, with two starters failing to score a point despite each playing upward of 20 minutes.
A long series awaits Milwaukee, but if it's going to turn things around, then it will begin with Doc Rivers addressing a longstanding criticism.
Game 1 may not decide the series, but it revealed a number of the flaws that skeptics were concerned about. Kyle Kuzma's ISO-centric game proved a poor fit within the offense, and the team's more traditional bigs struggled on defense.
There will likely be games during which neither of those issues surface, but they've effectively presented themselves as many expected them to.
Damian Lillard returning to the lineup should help the offense produce more than 98 points on 24.3 percent shooting from beyond the arc. More is needed for Milwaukee to defeat a high-level opponent, however, and that's where Rivers comes in.
If the Bucks are going to win this series, then Rivers will need to prove that he's willing to do what so many have criticized him for being reluctant to: Adapt on the fly.
Doc Rivers must embrace need to adapt strategy for Bucks to recover
Milwaukee can trust that Antetokounmpo and a healthy Lillard can provide a superstar-caliber impact on winning. The big question facing the team throughout the 2024-25 campaign, however, is how the supporting pieces fit alongside them.
If Game 1 is a sign of things to come, then Rivers will need to prove that he's willing to accept what isn't working and make adjustments both after and within games.
Game 1 was a shining example of how matchups decide exactly how role players fit into an ideal equation. Players such as Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis have the ability to swing games in Milwaukee's favor, but Indiana may not be the most ideal matchup for them.
Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner stretch the floor in a way that requires something of a middle-ground between traditional and small-ball lineups, and it's fair to question if Milwaukee's bigs fit the bill.
Thankfully, giving Antetokounmpo more minutes at center is a strategy that could prove advantageous. Unfortunately, that could result in Milwaukee's perimeter-heavy depth chart forcing polarizing players such as Kuzma and Taurean Prince into larger roles.
It's a dilemma that will be challenging to work around, but it's on Rivers to tamper with his lineups and figure out exactly what group works best against the Pacers.
This in no way declares that Lopez and Portis are the problem, nor that they shouldn't see big minutes in this series. Instead, it's a challenge for Rivers to determine exactly how to utilize them and which lineups work best to amplify their impact.
Rivers has been known to cling tightly to his strategies in the past, but if the Bucks are going to avoid a first-round exit, he'll need to prove he's willing to adapt both during and between games.