The Milwaukee Bucks have slept through tipoff ever since Giannis Antetokounmpo strained his calf against the Pistons. The offense simply can't get anything going. The defense is mediocre. Every night, it seems, the Bucks have to claw back from an early deficit to even have a chance. There is nothing to suggest that this trend is going anywhere. There's only so much they can tweak, but the Bucks' starting lineup has nothing to lose by going all-in on offense.
Bucks can't keep digging themselves into an impossible hole
Anything would be better than the starting five they ran out against the Raptors. With Kyle Kuzma inactive, Rivers assembled a first unit of Kevin Porter Jr., AJ Green, Myles Turner, Gary Trent Jr. and Jericho Sims. No wonder the offense started slow. News flash, benching Ryan Rollins and starting Sims isn't going to help.
But something has to change. The start of games has become a source of dread for Bucks fans. Dating back to Giannis' injury, the Bucks have gone 0-6 in first quarters. They have trailed by at least six points every time.
On several occasions, it was all they could do to survive the opponent's opening punch. The Bucks fell behind 15-4 against the Raptors, 21-8 versus Boston, and 19-4 to the Pistons when Giannis left three minutes in. Before his calf strain, the Milwaukee Bucks had won three first quarters in a row.
To their credit, they rallied to win against Detroit and Boston, but falling behind the sticks is not a recipe for success. Versus Toronto on Thursday, a sluggish start cost them the game. In a six-point loss, the Bucks held a five-point edge after the first 3:56 of game time.
Imagine if, instead of coming back to tie the game, Milwaukee's second-period surge gave them a cushion to withstand the Raptors' own charge late in the third.
The anemic first quarters are a recurring theme. Lopsided as it may be, it's time to audition a new starting five: Porter, Rollins, Green, Myles Turner, and Bobby Portis. Substituting Portis for Kuzma is a defensive downgrade, but right now, the Bucks just need to throw spaghetti at the wall.
It's worth noting, too, that the first-quarter defense hasn't been anything special, anyway. In that six-game span, the Bucks have allowed an average of 32.5 points and no fewer than 29. A "radical" change in approach might be the only hope for this offense to get its wheels unstuck.
Waking up the offense isn't as simple as putting Rollins back in the starting five. The Bucks had the same first-quarter problems starting Rollins and Porter together. Inserting Portis over Kuzma or Sims could give an early boost. Heating up after a slow start, he is averaging 15.3 points over his last 13 games. Even a few Portis buckets early could help keep the Bucks from letting go of the rope. They already feel his immediate impact coming off the bench.
In the end, it might all go for naught. The obvious root of the problem is, of course, Giannis' absence. No surprise there. But he's not coming back soon, so it's up to Rivers to make the most of his available pieces. Starting Portis and Rollins is not going to save the day, but maybe it can save the Bucks from stumbling over their own feet in the first quarter. They can't afford to keep starting games in an offensive coma.