4 Tweaks to improve the Milwaukee Bucks before 2024 NBA Playoffs
By Franco Luna
No. 3 - Managing the players’ workload to stay healthy
With the grind of the NBA season, managing player minutes and ensuring key players stay fresh for the playoffs is crucial. The coaching staff could consider strategic rest days for key players, increase the involvement of bench players to provide valuable minutes, and prioritize player health and recovery.
Consider the team’s injury situation. Khris Middleton is, at this point, a fairly injury-prone player who’s still very much working his way back from his most recent injury. After dropping what might be the best game of his season immediately after coming back, he's just not looked the same and has gone back to looking like a shell of his former self. And while his game has never relied on elite athleticism or anything of the sort, a confident and efficient Khris Middleton as the third scoring option makes the Milwaukee Bucks a difficult beast to tame in the playoffs.
Patrick Beverley, too, has said he would play through a wrist injury and get his season-ending surgery in the summer instead — which doesn’t bode well for his production and defensive impact in the backup point guard minutes. Beverley has earned the Bucks fandom's respect after showing what he can bring to the locker room with his grit and tenacity, both of which have seemed to be infectious for the rest of the team on the defensive end.
The playoffs are a grueling gauntlet. Running players into the ground during the regular season makes them more susceptible to injuries, which can derail their entire championship run. Even minor injuries can disrupt rotations and playoff rhythm. By managing minutes and strategically resting players, the Milwaukee Bucks ensure they arrive at the playoffs fresh and at peak physical condition. This allows them to play with maximum effort and explosiveness throughout the postseason.
Milwaukee's past few playoff exits all had something to do with an injury to one of their main stars. Giannis Antetokounmpo is the engine that drives the Bucks' offense, Khris Middleton is the offensive fulcrum that makes them elite, and Damian Lillard is a new addition who should be the answer to all of their offensive woes in the past.
This is only to say that health is paramount to their success; carefully managing minutes throughout the season reduces the wear and tear on each of their bodies, keeping the Big 3 healthy and ready to dominate in the playoffs.
Managing each player’s workload more decisively could also mean more developmental minutes for their young guys, which could bode well for the team should any of their main guys get injured in the playoffs.