Following a 45-point loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday, Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers told reporters that his team would need to do some soul-searching before Thursday’s game against the Toronto Raptors. Rivers described Sunday’s game as “one of the more disappointing games I’ve ever been involved in,” specifically referencing his team’s performance and competitiveness.
After the Bucks’ practice on Tuesday, Rivers again harped on hearing his players suggest that they couldn’t believe they lost to a team like the Nets (7-18). The Bucks (11-16) are only a few games ahead of Brooklyn in the standings.
“I didn’t like that,” Rivers said. “‘We can’t get blown out by that team.‘ What does that say? Who do you think you are? Our record right now is what it is, and until that changes, we can’t look at anyone as a team that can’t beat us.
“So, we have to play better every night. That starts with me. I have to get them more prepared, mentally, as much as I can, but we have to own our own mess, all right? And I think that’s what we need to do, and we’ve got time to do.”
While that might have sounded like a coach asking players to bring more consistent effort to each game, Rivers firmly rejected that notion as what the Bucks need to fix to get out of their month-long funk.
“I think people think it’s just that easy, and it’s not as easy as it sounds,” Rivers said about getting players to consistently play hard. “Like, if everybody did that, wouldn’t everybody be good? And play hard every night? I’m serious, it’s not as easy as saying, ‘You know, guys, everybody has to play harder. Everybody has to have the right emotions.’
“You’re dealing with 15 different individuals, and everybody deals with things differently. But the bottom line is, and I’m being honest, we’re not thinking about all that stuff. We’re just trying to be a better basketball team right now. That’s it.”
Rivers pointed to the team’s struggles to execute as what needs to change the most.
“I think making the right plays, bringing the ball up the court, executing, doing all those things,” Rivers said. “It’s like the chicken and the egg — something has to go first. Something has to give you confidence to do it over and over again.
“Put it like this: I’m far more focused on execution than I am about feelings and the headspace and all that stuff. That’s just my opinion.”
On both Tuesday and Wednesday, Rivers told reporters that he doesn’t plan on making drastic tactical changes to the Bucks’ offense or defense outside of potentially simplifying things defensively, and instead is asking players to execute at a higher level.
That could be a problem with Giannis Antetokounmpo already designated as out for a fifth straight game with a right calf strain.
In the four games Antetokounmpo has missed since he went down on Dec. 3, the Bucks have an offensive rating of 109.1 (27th in NBA) and a defensive rating of 124.9 (29th), which means they have been outscored by 15.7 points per 100 possessions, per Cleaning the Glass. Things have gone overwhelmingly poorly on both ends of the floor over the last two weeks.
So what can the Bucks execute better? Rivers continues to point to the possession battle.
“We’re losing the margin game every night,” Rivers said. “Those are the things we’re focused on, how to not lose the margin game.
“We have to be a better team at taking care of the ball. …We have to foul less because … if we’re fouling, that means we’re playing against set defenses all night. So we have to do a better job there.
Throughout Milwaukee’s struggles this season, Rivers has regularly brought up the fact that opponents are taking more shots than the Bucks. He repeatedly circles the Bucks’ turnovers on offense and their foul rate on defense as the two areas in which they can most realistically improve.
In the last four games, Milwaukee has committed turnovers on 17.1 percent of its offensive possessions (26th) and compiled the 22nd-worst free-throw rate.
These issues are not all that surprising. Kevin Porter Jr. and Ryan Rollins, the team’s two young point guards, are being asked to both carry a significant scoring burden and run the team, which would be difficult in any situation, but especially with Antetokounmpo sidelined. On the other end of the floor, the Bucks are undersized, which means their physical defensive approach is leading to an abundance of whistles and regular foul trouble for their guards.
But those are still what Rivers is emphasizing.
“Those are the two areas we’re looking at how to win the margins,” he said. “Taking care of the ball, not fouling as much, not putting them on the line, getting to the line more ourselves … And then try to create extra possessions, either one or two. That’s all. One or two offensive rebounds, one forced turnover and we win the margins, and that’s how we have to do it.”
