The Milwaukee Bucks' loss to the Wizards was arguably their worst of the season. It was also their eighth in nine games and dropped them to 9-13 overall. Ever-focused on competing for a championship, Giannis Antetokounmpo may look at the Bucks' situation in two weeks and decide he wants out. By that time, restrictions for recently signed players will be lifted, effectively marking the start of trade season and making potential deals easier should Giannis request a move.
Bucks may be playing for their season in coming days
Let's face it. Despite another MVP-caliber start from Giannis, this Bucks team doesn't look like a contender. Myles Turner, their biggest offseason splash, has underwhelmed. Cole Anthony has been a downright disaster. Gary Trent Jr., expected to be a key secondary scorer, was benched for poor play on both ends of the floor.
Predictably, they can't win without Giannis. Even with him, Milwaukee has glaring weaknesses on both ends. They can't rebound. They have been surprisingly poor on defense. They desperately need shot creation on the other end. Kevin Porter Jr.'s return helps, assuming he can stay healthy after leaving Monday's game with back spasms, but the offense needs others to step up as well.
What it all means is that the Bucks have two weeks to get their act together before things could get very uncomfortable. Losing to the two-win Wizards is hard to stomach, but they have no choice but to pick themselves up and go get the next one.
Unfortunately, the schedule isn't about to get easier. The Bucks play the first-place Pistons twice in their next three games. The Nets, the only team they've beaten in two-plus weeks, are their sole sub-.500 opponent in their next seven contests. Ending in Brooklyn, the Bucks have five more games before the clock strikes midnight on December 15.
Coming off the team's worst losing streak in years, nearing a rough patch of schedule ahead, that game in Washington was one the Bucks had to have.
If fans weren't uneasy enough already, reports surfaced Tuesday morning that Giannis deleted all of his tweets dating back to the title season of 2021. Bucks-related content has disappeared altogether from his Instagram account. It's easy to get caught up in social media drama, but it's hard to read this development as a coincidence given Milwaukee's frustrating start to the season.
Needless to say, it doesn't bode well for what will happen if the Bucks continue losing.
Hopefully, with Giannis and Porter back in the lineup, they can string together a few wins over the next week or two. If not, it's time to brace for the likelihood that the Giannis era in Milwaukee is nearing its end.