Bucks Looking For Answers, And Maybe Some Perimeter Defense, Amid 1-4 Start

The Bucks didn’t expect to be staring down a 1-4 record, yet here they are. For a team built to win now, it’s hard to overlook what’s becoming a glaring weakness — quick, shifty guards are having a field day against Milwaukee’s perimeter defense.

As one rival executive told ESPN, “Watching them, it’s just clear these quick guards are able to get where they want.” That might seem like a one-off issue in a grueling 82-game season, but the problem has shown up in multiple games. Whether it’s the Bulls’ Coby White and Zach LaVine, Brooklyn’s Dennis Schroder and Cam Thomas, or even Ja Morant going off while key Memphis players rested in street clothes, opposing guards are finding a rhythm against Milwaukee.

And it’s not like the Bucks can easily fix this with a roster shake-up. They’re already facing the league’s second-apron restrictions and carrying a $75 million luxury tax bill. Milwaukee’s draft assets are thin, too, with just a distant 2031 first-rounder in hand. They’re deep in the repeater tax, and the financial strain on this organization isn’t something you hear about often, but it’s real and hitting hard.

For Milwaukee, this season’s path looks pretty much locked in. They’ve got to ride with what they have and hope this group can build chemistry and find its groove. Of course, they still have Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard so it’s not a lost cause. But when the stakes are this high and the fixes this few, each game feels a bit heavier.