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Report points to defensive breakdowns as a potential 'fatal flaw' in the Milwaukee Bucks' bid for the NBA title
The Milwaukee Bucks’ defense has vastly improved under the leadership of head coach Doc Rivers. This has helped Milwaukee win seven of its last nine games and retake the second seed in the Eastern Conference. However, while “good” defense may work in the regular season, Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley asks if it will be enough to get the Bucks the NBA title.
Team with excellent individual defenders
The Milwaukee Bucks feature numerous excellent individual defenders led by former Defensive Player of the Year Giannis Antetokounmpo and rim-protector extraordinaire Brook Lopez. However, the team couldn’t fully harness their potential on the defensive end until Doc Rivers came on board as head coach. He has implemented a defensive scheme that has allowed these individual talents to thrive and impact every possession.
"It's starting to become second nature," starting two-guard Malik Beasley said recently.
"When you have a good defensive team like that, that's what happens."
Weak spots
As terrific as Milwaukee’s defense has recently been, it still isn’t elite, ranking 15th in defensive rating. More than anything, the Bucks’ perimeter defense remains without a point-of-attack defender—a role that former starter Jrue Holiday played to perfection. Leaning on the starting backcourt of Damian Lillard and Malik Beasley to stop or at least slow down the league’s best perimeter scorers like Jaylen Brown, Jalen Brunson, and Donovan Mitchell is a tall order.
The NBA Playoffs is a different beast. With teams employing sophisticated scouting teams, defenses can key in on players' tendencies and exploit their weaknesses. This is where the Bucks' lack of a lockdown perimeter defender could come back to haunt them.
“If they can't consistently keep opposing offenses in check, they'll be in big trouble,” Buckley wrote.
