The Milwaukee Bucks have a point guard problem on their hands. They waived and stretched Damian Lillard in a shocking twist, and they used the additional financial flexibility to sign Myles Turner. But they failed to address the hole at the point guard position. Now, they’re left trying to figure that out on the fly.
Eric Nehm of The Athletic discussed the potential issue on The Athletic NBA Daily podcast, breaking down exactly what the Bucks could look like next season. And though they were able to bring Turner in, and Kevin Porter Jr. showed some solid flashes last season, they still don’t have a definitive answer at the one.
And that’s not good enough.
What is wrong with the Bucks?
Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the best players in the world. He’s one of the best players in NBA history. He’s arguably the best player to ever suit up for the Bucks’ franchise. And this might be the worst roster they’ve ever put around him.
The Greek Freak is in the prime of his career, putting up MVP-caliber stats every single season and dragging his team to the postseason. Yet Milwaukee has fumbled the last few seasons, and disastrously so.
Trading for Lillard sounded cool in theory, but it blew up in their face. They let Malik Beasley walk, and he turned into one of the best three-point shooters in basketball. They traded Khris Middleton for Kyle Kuzma, which looks rough. And now, they waived Lillard, putting $22.5 million in dead money on their books for the next five years.
But on top of all of that, as they prepare to head into next season with Antetokounmpo at the helm, they still don’t have an answer at point guard.
Perhaps Porter Jr. has a phenomenal season and ends up looking like an absolute steal, but that’s a big “if.” Ryan Rollins is fine, and Milwaukee’s shooting guard position isn’t terrible.
Still, it’s not like Lillard was bad last year. He put up elite offensive numbers. He just got hurt at the end of the year. Adding Turner with the flexibility they got from waiving Lillard was fine, but they swapped out one position for another without finding a replacement for the first one.
Milwaukee may end up running a lot of its offense through Antetokounmpo, which makes sense. But they were at their best when they had two other guys around him who could handle the ball and create—Jrue Holiday and Middleton.
Now, though some of the guys on their roster could step up into those roles, they don’t have anyone who is proven in that regard. And that’s a problem.