4 Lessons to learn from Milwaukee Bucks' 4 recent losses

You win some, you lose some. The Milwaukee Bucks losing to New York, Washington, Memphis, and Toronto has to have a “silver lining,” right?

Thankfully, for fans of the Milwaukee Bucks over the past twenty years, your record is 803-802. So, Bucks fans have seen more wins than losses by one (This might surprise you, but over the past twenty years, the Minnesota Timberwolves have the worst record in the NBA at 630-946). Being a part of something that is “just good” is, well, “just good."

Losing to Washington, Memphis, Toronto, and New York certainly was not in the cards. But this team and its fanbase have certainly learned a few things from these losses. 

Let’s take a deeper dive and see what we have learned. These ticky-tacky losses should not be in vain.

Milwaukee needs to do better at creating defensive pressure

Last season, this headline easily could have read, “Milwaukee Needs to Watch Their Turnovers.” But under Doc Rivers, this team does not turn over the ball much. No, instead, this team just doesn’t make the other team turn the ball over much. 

Where is the defensive pressure and intensity?

Lately, they have been slipping when it comes to winning the turnover battle, especially when it comes to exerting defensive pressure to cause turnovers. In this most recent loss to the Knicks, Milwaukee had 14 turnovers. New York only had five. Against Memphis, they only had 11 turnovers (good), but they only caused eight. So, they lost the turnover battle in both of those.

Against Washington, in a loss, the team had 12 turnovers. However, they only caused 10. Another turnover battle loss. Against New Orleans, in a loss, the team had 14 turnovers. Against LA, in a loss, the team also had 17 turnovers, only causing 14. 

What it seems to come down to is if Milwaukee can do a better job of protecting the ball and win the “turnover battle” then they can win. Also, to only cause five turnovers against a team like the Knicks is just simply never going to cut it.

And not to compare basketball to football, but in the NFL, the team that turns the ball over less almost always wins.

The Bucks need to generate more turnovers than they have to win more games. In a “signature win” (112-95) against the defending champion Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee had 12 team turnovers. In that win, Denver had 13 team turnovers, a turnover battle “win” for the Bucks.