Doc Rivers knew the Milwaukee Bucks would be without two of their primary ball-handlers for their matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers, which complicated the game plan. Kevin Porter Jr. (ankle) and Cole Anthony (illness) were both ruled out, stripping the Bucks of two players capable of being the floor general for this team. It quickly became an unavoidable issue.
Bucks' depleted guard depth factored in to turnover frenzy
The Bucks earned 17 turnovers on the night. Not all of them were due to terrible passes, but a good chunk of them certainly were. Without two of their lead guards, plenty of players who typically would not handle the ball found themselves doing it. It's clear why those players don't handle the basketball on the regular.
Bobby Portis led the way with four of those turnovers. Three of his frustrating giveaways came as a result of bad passes. That certainly stemmed from Portis handling the ball more and feeling like he had more responsibility. It didn't go well. Portis has already had a rough start to the season with his shooting and scoring. Ball control can be added to the list.
Ryan Rollins, Taurean Prince, Myles Turner, AJ Green, and Mark Sears all had "bad pass" turnovers on the night as well. The Cavaliers did their part by jumping passing lanes and disrupting Milwaukee's offense, but several of these turnovers stemmed from careless or risky passes that the point guards might have prevented.
In a sentence that might shock some, it also hurts that the Milwaukee Bucks were without Kyle Kuzma as he deals with the injury bug. Not only could the team have used his defense, but he could also be a quality complementary facilitator for the Bucks. It's a small sample size, of course, but he showed a few glimpses of buying into that role prior to his injury.
In a game the Milwaukee Bucks lost by five points, with a final score of 118-113, the abundance of turnovers certainly hurt. It's something they must clean up, but it should also get better once they welcome back Kevin Porter Jr. and Cole Anthony. It sounds like, hopefully, neither player will be out for long. The Bucks can't afford to go through this turnover issue every single night.
Despite the loss, the Milwaukee Bucks put up a nice fight against the Cavaliers. Now, it's time to get everyone healthy and build needed continuity.
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