Bucks’ Defensive Rebounding Crisis Threatens Early Season Success
Milwaukee Bucks’ 5-3 start masks a troubling defensive reality. Despite improving from last season’s disastrous 2-6 opening, the Bucks have plummeted to 20th in defensive rating, with rebounding emerging as their most glaring weakness.
Justin Garcia and Camille Davis break down the team’s defensive collapse, particularly the rebounding crisis that has Milwaukee ranked 25th in overall rebounding rate. The analysis examines how Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard’s supporting cast—dominated by undersized wings like Gary Trent Jr. and A.J. Green—is getting dominated on the glass. Bobby Portis’s career-worst shooting struggles, the brutal 28-point loss to Toronto, and the team’s league-worst free throw percentage all come under scrutiny. With six games in nine days ahead, including matchups against the red-hot Chicago Bulls and Houston Rockets, the Bucks face critical questions about their roster construction and championship viability.
Can Milwaukee’s small-ball lineup survive the grind, or will their size disadvantage derail another season?
0:00 Intro
2:12 Fatigue and upcoming schedule challenges
4:56 Defensive struggles and concerning trends
8:09 Raptors game breakdown and issues
13:42 Rebounding problems hurting the defense
19:58 Bobby Portis struggles and role changes
24:28 Adjusting to new offensive system
28:58 Margin for error and physicality
31:27 Comparing to last season’s start
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30 Comments
JUST REBOUND THE BALL GENTLEMAN.
I'm ready to pull the trigger, give me some kuz with Giannis! I don't care!! I'm ready to see it
I think the rebounding issues of this team are in part do to coaching discipline. Like Brook was never a great individual rebounder but with Bud coaching, we had a top 5 rebounding team. I'm sure post Bud you can chalk team rebounding up to Brooks regression, but the moment Bud got fired is when rebounding fell off a cliff.
This is the worse coached team in the history of any sport literally, the last thing that a badly coached team will do is rebound and not get good shots for the right guys and the other team will feast off of penetration, you can't have old entiltled vets giving up layup after layup and expect anything, its a young mans game, show Bobby and Prince the door, they're day playing organized sports is done
Yes. We were very small this game. And just slow, the defence was terrible. But it was our first B2B. Better win the next 5😅
The smoke alarm is going off. Something fundamentally is off with how this team plays. They no longer do the little things that win games. Coach Bud drilled the teaching of the little things in his team for years. But we have not seen this team operate under those principles since Bud was fired. This is very concerning, because doing those fundamental things is why this team was one of the best teams in the league. This team has no discipline, no structure, lack enough high IQ guys that can call plays on the floor, when the initial play breaks down. Unfortunately, we have a coaching issue. There's no way this team with championship expectations should be this undiscipline. We don't have enough high IQ players on the court to read the game correctly and respond with the right answer. This team win games because of talent. Talent us what you fall back on when everything else fails. Doc has to get this team up to par fundamentally if we want to win games.
They insist on taking all those 3s which I understand, but no one follows a shot or hits the boards. You won't get many rebounds when literally NO ONE goes near the basket.🤷♂️
Why is Prince playing wasn’t he out the rotation. Why is Coffey playing he ain’t it. I want to see Jackson and sims take Prince and Coffey minutes.Play full court press run, run, run. Stagger Giannis and turner minutes so one of them always in the game this is not rocket science damn 😂😂😂
I keep saying and said for months, move Green to the bench and play Rollins, Trent, KPJ. Those three will play off each other defensively and get into those passing lanes, force turnovers and get those fast break points. Rollins can guard bigger and has earned more respect from the refs. KPJ ability to read a pass and get those steals is not gambling, he see those passes coming. Trent plays his best defense with KPJ out there for whatever reason. None of these guys want to be seen as the weakest link, so let iron sharpen iron! Something needs to change and it needs to start with the starting lineup.
Thoughts on this?
Bobby, AJAX, 2031 pick swap
For Herb Jones from NO.
Herb would slot in at the three and brings great defense and shooting.
KPJ
Gary
Herb Jones
Giannis
Turner
AJ
Rollins
Kuzma
Cole
Prince
Sims
The Bucks defensive scheme has Giannis running out in the perimeter and the rest of the Bucks being unaible to rebound
It's time to start Portis over Green, Bobby can't be playing with the second team.
Love Green but it's not working with him in the starting lineup. Love Bobby, but he looks so out of sync with this new style of play. Bobby looks so old out there and confused what what game he's actually playing. The game is leaving the Bobby's, Brook's of the nba behind. As for Green he's just too small and not athletic enough to defend bigger. These are two huge red flags.
It's a height thing too funny, Green cant guard a statue, you could be 4 ft tall and get your shot over green, he can't jump, slow hands, can't anticipate and no clue how to steer defenders for help. On transition hes totally useless, 10 minutes max, stuck with this stiff for 4 years- fire Horst.
Rebounding and turnovers 😢
In the span of. 8 games we should have won 6. We just had a blowout loss and that drags down our stats. Stop overreacting everyone. They will find their groove. Last year we started the season 2-8. Relax everybody
trade Bobby he has zero defense anyway..not a fit right now.
Bobby portis is the worst defensive player in the league.
Bucks don't get the rebounds. That's the problem. You don't win with just three-pointers.
Tish ,🎯🎯🎯
This team needs a starting wing. They need to trade kuzma, nothing against him btw he is actually playing very well (he is the only asset we have with a 20mil salary) and get a starting wing. The question is who that can be. I cant think of someone that will fit immediately.
For now , we have to start kuzma instead of AJ Green. When Kevin Porter Jr is back , move kuz back to 6 man. Porter Jr fills a lot of holes . He's a really good rebounding guard . He has long wingspan defensively which helps us on d.
Then its Porter Jr, Trent Jr , Rollins , Giannis , and Myles starting.
Does this team has a personel or coaching issues????? 🏀😮💨
THE LAST GAME DEFENSE WAS SWISS CHEESE!! THE OFFENSE IS ROLLER COASTER RIDE!! BOBBY SHOULD HAVE BEEN WEARING A RAPTORS UNIFORM, BECAUSE HE SURE HELPED THEM INCREASE THE LEAD WITH HIS LACK OF DEFENSE AND MOST GLARING JACKING UP THREES HE JUST WASN'T MAKING. MR. JUSTIN YOUR OFFENSIVE RATING ON THE BUCKS IS FOOLS GOLD!! THIS TEAM HAS ALWAYS BEEN DECENT OFFENSIVELY NO MATTER THE ROSTER. THE DEFENSE HAS BEEN THERE ACHILLES HEEL!! ESPECIALLY IN THE PLAYOFFS. THEY NEVER ADDRESS IN THE OFF SEASON. TRYING TO WIN A CHIP ON A BUDGET. THAT IS NOT GOING TO WORK FOR LONG TERM SUCCESS.
4 more weeks no KPJ, we got no guard that can dribble a basketball other than sears, nobody has a clue on how to rebound, Bucks are cooked with Quacks Rivers offense that gives 5-4 fast break hit or miss on every possession, then his better than Griffon defense gives up multiple shots, fire the quack
Rushed 3s ..1 shot and done that are missed, turnovers and not grabbing the defensive rebounds is killin this team. Why is it always our team? Coaching is supposed to be making it clear to box out and rebound the ball..
This team has so many holes that I thought we could overcome but so far all my fears have came true. We’re to small on the wings. That must be addressed
not making excuses for the team, they absolutely need to rebound and defend better, but the reffing in our losses against the raptors and the kings should be checked out.
Put Kuzma back in the starting lineup.
Need More Jericho Sims
Start Kuzma….all that Aj….Ryan….Trent…shit ain't gonna cut it!!