The Milwaukee Bucks were being picked by many people to reach the NBA Finals and possibly even win it all when they traded for future Hall of Fame guard Damian Lillard last summer.
But instead of becoming pro basketball’s newest superpower, they have become underachievers this season.
Coming into Tuesday, even though the Bucks were in second place in the Eastern Conference, they held a disappointing 47-31 record, and with one or two small exceptions, they have never really built, let alone sustained momentum this year.
Jamal Crawford said on TNT’s NBA pregame show that they have run out of excuses while praising the job Adrian Griffin did as head coach earlier in the season.
“If not for Adrian Griffin and what they did earlier in the season, they would be way, way, way worse. … They’ve almost run out of reasons and excuses why.”@JCrossover on Milwaukee’s recent struggles pic.twitter.com/OdKpIfG9YE
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 9, 2024
Griffin, who was a first-time head coach they hired last offseason, guided them to a respectable 30-13 record before he was fired in January.
Since then, as Crawford pointed out, they have gone just 19-18, and current head coach Doc Rivers has thus far failed to tap into his roster’s strong potential.
In Lillard, Milwaukee has a legitimate scorer and distributing guard, and they have Giannis Antetokounmpo, the two-time MVP who is in his prime.
They also have much of the core that won them the NBA championship in 2021 still intact.
The Boston Celtics are the clear favorites in the East, and time is running out for the Bucks if they are to seriously challenge them for a spot in the NBA Finals.
Someone on the Bucks needs to assert some leadership, otherwise they could end up making yet another early playoff exit.
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Former Player Says Bucks Star Doesn’t Make Teammates Better