The Milwaukee Bucks' frustrations continue to grow following a disappointing 104-93 defeat at the hands of the Stephen Curry-less Golden State Warriors.
As a team, they looked to have gotten things together after the All-Star break, but this current tough run of games has seen them struggle against some of the top-end teams in the NBA. Jericho Sims' presence had been great, but with him now expected to miss four weeks, the fixed frontcourt issues have popped back up again.
Not only were Tuesday night's opponents without their superstar, but they also held the Bucks to their lowest-scoring game of the season. Offensively, they were stagnant and slow. Defensively, lackluster and lacking athleticism they found in Sims. It says a lot that they are so reliant on a player earning $2 million this season to be such a huge addition, but this is where the Milwaukee Bucks are as a team.
Bucks need to find a solution during this tough stretch with Sims out
Brook Lopez had a solid game offensively, scoring 16 points on 7-for-10 (70 percent) shooting and making 2-of-4 (50 percent) from 3-point range. Defensively, however, he was constantly exposed by the athletic wings and big men of the Warriors. Quinten Post had a good game for the Warriors, scoring 14 points as the 52nd overall pick from the 2024 NBA Draft took advantage of having the veteran Lopez on him.
Sims had been a good replacement for Lopez, with both centers offering value and having different skill sets that allowed the Bucks to operate with different lineups. Without Sims, the Bucks are back into their early season issues of just struggling to keep defenders in front of them in the frontcourt and Lopez, in particular, being dragged out to the perimeter, which has never been a strength of his.
Kyle Kuzma has been a nice addition as well, but defenses are allowing him to shoot open threes. On Tuesday, he went 5-of-13 (38.5 percent), well above his average for the season, but teams are trying to take the ball out of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard's hands and dare the rest of the roster to beat them.
During this West Coast stretch, the Bucks need to figure out a solution on both ends of the floor as they are becoming too easy to defend and too easy to score on. No Sims and no Bobby Portis leaves them light in the frontcourt. It may mean Tyler Smith sees some game time. It may mean that Doc Rivers has to go with Giannis at the five and build around that. Multiple role players have struggled of late, and there are young players with upside still biding their time.
There is no easy solution for the team as this is how it is constructed, and with two big men missing for considerable time, it leaves them light. The option of dipping into the 10-day market is there, but with the Milwaukee Bucks looking toward the postseason, that would not do too much. They would be better off working on a solution/variation over a stop-gap.
It won't get easier for the Milwaukee Bucks as they ramp up toward the playoffs, but the same issues continue to arise. They can't simply rely on Sims to be so integral in the frontcourt that they will need to find solutions on both ends of the floor.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks news and analysis.