Bucks’ Tyler Herro on 1-11 start: ‘We can’t just be smiling and thinking this is OK’

Tyler Herro understands he joined a team going through a transition. He doesn’t want that to become an excuse for accepting defeat.

With the Bucks off to a 1-11 start and riding an eight-game losing streak, Herro delivered a blunt assessment of his first season in Milwaukee.

“This is the most I’ve ever lost in my life,” Herro said, via Amir Motameni of Bucks On SI. “We can’t just be smiling and thinking this is OK. Like, the goal here is to win. That’s why we get paid, to win games.”

Herro didn’t name teammates or single out the coaching staff. But the message was clear enough. Whatever the expectations for this roster, he wants a greater sense of urgency.

Wednesday’s 123-112 loss to the Lakers extended a difficult opening stretch for a franchise adjusting to life after Giannis Antetokounmpo. Herro arrived from the Heat as part of that trade, along with Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel’el Ware and Kasparas Jakucionis.

That gives Milwaukee players to develop and evaluate. It hasn’t yet given the Bucks much success.

For Herro, the adjustment is considerable. He spent his entire NBA career in Miami before the trade, playing for an organization that regularly expected to compete in the postseason. Now he’s among the established players responsible for helping a rebuilding team find its way.

His comments suggest he wants winning to remain the standard, even while the roster takes shape. That’s a reasonable expectation, though demanding better and producing it are separate steps.

The Bucks aren’t going to replace everything Antetokounmpo provided in a few weeks. They can, however, establish how they intend to compete without him.

Herro clearly doesn’t want anyone getting comfortable with the results so far.

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