Jon Horst criticized as Bucks, Giannis are at a breaking point

Milwaukee's general manager could have handled Giannis's fallout better

Feb 12, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; NBA All-Star participants Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard (0), guard Malik Beasley (5), and forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) pose for a picture with general manager Jon Horst (far left) and team president Peter Feigin (far right) before a game against the Denver Nuggets at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks have had a dreadful season, they are 11th in the East, 8 games under .500, Giannis has been constantly injured, and the Bucks don't have the rights to their own draft pick in any season until 2031. Thankfully they do have a swap this season.

But another report has come out that makes the Giannis discourse look like its nearing an end as Lori Nickel of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel had this to say in her recent article:

“One of the disappointing sidebars to this dismal Bucks season is the lack of public availability & accountability from the recently extended GM Jon Horst. Instead, Giannis bore the brunt of so many questions that were the consequence of decisions of his boss, Horst.”

Lori Nickel

“One of the disappointing sidebars to this dismal Bucks season is the lack of public availability & accountability from the recently extended GM Jon Horst

Instead, Giannis bore the brunt of so many questions that were the consequence of decisions of his boss, Horst.” @LoriNickel https://t.co/uZXvc8eZug pic.twitter.com/EDZ0KRQ1lg

— Dru (@dru_star) January 25, 2026

“[GM Jon Horst] Ducking those questions also seemed to put more pressure on [Giannis] and that wasn't fair. He talked after every game this season except one, fielding literally every and all kinds of questions. Giannis never excused himself…That’s accountability.”

Lori Nickel

Alarming Truth

This is an alarming truth for Horst, and the Milwaukee Bucks organization. The superstar that has given your city so much taking the blunt of the questions, comments, concerns, all while trying to be the nice guy about his current situation in Milwaukee.

Horst has drafted poorly, for starters their #23 and #33 draft picks in the 2024 NBA Draft are no longer on the team, and going back through the draft picks, there are no hits.

Beyond the draft and player development, there is the coaching carousel. Fired Adrian Griffin when he was 30-13 to bring in Doc Rivers --albeit it wasn't his first choice-- and that choice, beyond the poor drafting and asset management has hindered the Milwaukee Bucks'

Is it too late?

The lack of accountability has created a precarious situation in Milwaukee, and his media answers make all the more sense when you consider the pressure and frustrations that Giannis is going through. Not only is he supposed to be a leader, but he has taken questions from the media about the structure of the team --which isn't good enough-- the coaching decisions, his future in Milwaukee, and just about anything you can think of.

Giannis's time in Milwaukee appears to be reaching the end as "Numerous NBA front offices began operating under the belief in recent days — arguably with greater conviction than ever before — that a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade before the league's Feb. 5 trade deadline at 3 PM ET had become unexpectedly possible," Jake Fischer of The Stein Line said.

If this is the end, it is an unfortunate end to Giannis's historic tenure in Milwaukee, and Jon Horst will have a big task ahead of him, an attempt to find the new face of the Milwaukee Bucks, the recollection of assets, and the necessity to start nailing draft picks.