The Milwaukee Bucks are still doing well in spite of their growing pains.
How unsettling will it be for the NBA as a whole when the Milwaukee Bucks eventually get everything together? Even with their early-season setbacks, the Bucks continue to project themselves as a formidable team. Even though they traded defensive stalwart Jrue Holiday for seven-time All-Star Damian Lillard, their defense is still far from what it was in previous seasons.
Though the Bucks’ backcourt may not be as strong defensively, the team is already learning how to make up for it. Their opponents do not look good in light of this development.
Defense is getting better.
Following a disastrous beginning in which the Bucks were able to virtually walk opponents all the way to the basket, defensive big man Brook Lopez was put in a position where he has excelled for many years—deep pick-and-roll coverage—by coach Adrian Griffin, and Milwaukee’s defense has been stingy ever since.
Crime is on the rise.
An already formidable offense has become an absolutely explosive one under Lillard’s leadership, ranking in the top 10 in almost every offensive category in the league. The Bucks are now a formidable team due to Dame’s amazing ability to make big shots in crucial situations. In the past, Milwaukee struggled to score points when the game was close.
