The first round matchup between the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers was fascinating to preview for countless reasons, but one particular angle revolved around the different rosters.
Milwaukee undoubtedly has the best player in the series in Giannis Antetokounmpo. One could argue after him that the second-best is Damian Lillard, who is currently out, or Tyrese Haliburton. However, after that, it feels like the debate starts tipping in Indiana's favor once you look at both teams' rosters. Game 1 highlighted just how vital the role players will be in this series.
Bucks role players lay an egg, Pacers supporting cast goes off
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 36 points and 12 rebounds. He lost. Tyrese Haliburton had 10 points on a vile 3-of-13 shooting. He won. The biggest reason was simply because Indiana's role players played with fire to help ease the pressure off their star, while Milwaukee's group looked lost and failed to help Giannis out with any consistent production.
Pascal Siakam tallied 25 points. Myles Turner had 19. Andrew Nembhard had 17. Bennedict Mathurin had 13. Notorious Bucks killer T.J. McConnell had 11. Indiana's supporting cast simply outclassed the Milwaukee Bucks' to the highest degree. Milwaukee had three double-digit scorers outside of Giannis, and there were AJ Green, Kevin Porter Jr. and Gary Trent Jr. Not a single other starter.
Kyle Kuzma had a horrific Bucks playoff debut by failing to record a single stat outside of two fouls. Zeros across the board. Taurean Prince joined him with zero points. Brook Lopez was a non-factor and got benched down the stretch - the Bucks played better without him. Bobby Portis, who is supposed to be the energizer of this unit, finished with a measly four points on eight shots while getting attacked on defense.
The Indiana Pacers undeniably had the better-performing cache of role players, an issue that is only amplified for the Milwaukee Bucks with Damian Lillard out. Even if Lillard returns soon, he and Giannis aren't going to win this series by themselves. They need this group of players to step up, and that means bouncing back from a brutal Game 1 performance.
Perhaps the best way to get more out of the role players is to put them in better spots. It's clear that the starting lineup doesn't work. They don't mesh. The team plays its best when it can get out and run and switch defensively. It's not something the current group does, and when the outside shot isn't on target, it makes things much more difficult offensively.
Letting the ever-agile Jericho Sims eat up some minutes at center from Lopez and Portis would be a great start, as Myles Turner gave those two plenty of trouble in Game 1. Starting the game faster by inserting one or two athletic bench pieces could also help. As they have quite a bit lately, this current starting five often sees the Bucks fall behind early, and they have to spend time clawing back. They desperately need change.
The Pacers are hoping the Bucks do nothing. They know they have the edge over Milwaukee right now because of the difference in role player production. Giannis could have 30, 40 or even 50, but if the role players perform like they did in Game 1, it won't matter. Unless someone decides to step up for the Milwaukee Bucks, trouble could come knocking soon.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.