Milwaukee (just barely) escaped with a 117-115 win over the Indiana Pacers, but the film from this game should have the coaching staff scrambling for answers they may not even have.
That's because Indiana scored 58 points in the painted area against a team that trots out the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Myles Turner in its frontcourt.
For much of the game, they were absolutely feasting on Milwaukee's interior whenever Myles Turner sat, and Bobby Portis had to play backup center minutes.
Giannis saved it with a clutch midrange bucket at the end, but one shot doesn't change the underlying problem: when Turner is off the floor, the Bucks have no rim protection whatsoever.
The Milwaukee Bucks have a problem with points in the paint
The numbers are absolutely brutal.
Per PBP Stats, the Bucks give up 111.7 points per 100 possessions when Turner is on the floor, a defensive rating that would rank 8th in the league. When he sits, that number plummets to 122.9. That's an 11.2-point swing.
As it currently stands, the Bucks are giving up just 47.3 points in the paint per game, which is just decimal points away from the tenth-ranked Portland Trail Blazers. They need rim protection beyond just Turner if they want to maintain that elite paint defense over a full season.
We know by now that, Bobby Portis, despite his dogged energy, can't protect the rim. He tries, but he doesn't have the length or timing to consistently contest shots at the basket. Indiana recognized that immediately and attacked relentlessly during Turner's rest minutes. Easy layups, dunks, put-backs, you name it; everything the Pacers wanted in the paint, they got.
The problem is Milwaukee doesn't have an obvious solution on the roster. Jericho Sims, or even, say, Andre Jackson Jr. should be getting more minutes based on his defensive ability alone, but because of their (extremely valid) offensive limitations, Rivers continues to ration their playing time.
Obviously, Turner can't play 40 minutes a night. Therein lies the problem: as the season goes on, opposing teams are going to recognize the massive defensive dropoff when he sits. Every smart coach in the league will target those backup center minutes ruthlessly.
Milwaukee's championship hopes depend on maintaining elite defense, but the pattern is becoming clear with every passing game. Turner sits for six minutes, and suddenly the Bucks are hemorrhaging points while opposing teams chip away at the leads they've built up. The Bucks were up by 11 in this one, and by the time the starting frontcourt clocked back in, they were up by 2.
Rivers needs to make a choice here: either give Sims or Kuzma real run as backup centers and accept that Bobby's role has to shrink, or watch every opponent torch Milwaukee's backup big all season long. Sims isn't Turner, but he's at least a legitimate shot-blocker who changes how teams attack the basket. There's no middle ground here when the defensive gap is too massive to ignore.
The Bucks got lucky against Indiana when Giannis bailed them out with a game-winner. But luck runs out in the playoffs. The challenge is clear: figure out the rim protection problem now, or watch it destroy Milwaukee's season later.
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