Is the defensive growth under Doc Rivers sustainable and are there reasons for offensive concern?

Is the defensive growth under Doc Rivers sustainable and are there reasons for offensive concern?

Coming up on today’s lock on bucks we start to examine the defense what we’ve seen since the coaching change how this group looks under Doc Rivers what’s believable what may take a step backwards and the offense how do you start to fix that we get into that

Conversation coming up next on locked on bucks you are locked on bucks your daily Milwaukee Bucks podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day welcome into lock on bucks I’m Justin Garcia joined as always by Camille Davis you can hear me on the

Bucks radio network you can also find Camille on the technical file podcast and during football season on the carry the G in MK podcast as well we both thank you for making lock on bucks your first Liston every day free and available wherever you get your podcasts

Part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day today’s lock on bucks is brought to you by FanDuel make every moment more right now new customers get $150 in bonus Bets with any winning $ five bet that’s 150 bucks if your bet wins visit fanduel.com lockon to get started so Camille

Yesterday we talked about Damen Lillard and what to expect from him or Hope from him maybe more accurate in the second half of the Season revisit Ed that trade and took a look at how Drew holiday has performed in Boston today we look at another change and that’s on the

Defensive side where it felt like we were starting to see some things and we kept pointing to November 3D when you put Brook Lopez back in the drop and then slowly those numbers started to get more messy where there wasn’t that whole much separation the coaching change came

And even in those three games with Joe pry you kind of viewed it as this feels like a preseason type of game where I I don’t know what to really take from this but I feel good by and large the defense is looked much better and what we

Expected coming into the season they’ve been just better than League average but the offense has been the issue so knowing the offense is going to change and Doc Rivers himself pointing to look it it takes some out of you to play this way of Defense I do think it’s safe to assume

We’re going to see the defense take a little bit of a step backward as well but as a whole when you assess the way this defense has looked under Doc Rivers do you believe this is closer to what this Bucks team is or is it somewhere between what we’ve seen in this Doc

Rivers era and then before that under Adrien Griffin I think that we’re seeing what the Bucks we hoping could be I don’t want to say the best case scenario because of course your best case scenarios being like top in the league but realistically when you’re going from

Drew holiday at point guard to Damen Lillard you know you’re going to lose some defense there and it’s not even just that trade to bring Dame in that changes the landscape for the bucks when you even look at the bench and the type of guys that the Bucks have on their

Bench now like there’s no more Javon Carter there’s no more West Matthews on your bench so you’re losing a few guys who had rotational roles at least in the regular season West so much more in the post season uh who came in and they were defensive first guys who you were hoping

Could knock down open shots when the opportunity presented itself for them so with that and now you have Malik Beasley you have Damien Lillard you do have Patrick Beverly which helps again with that whole idea of a defensive guard um coming off of your bench so I think the

Defense seeing that under dock so far according to cleaning the glass the Bucks have had the 11th best defense and of course cleaning the glass filters out the garbage time things of that sort so the numbers are always going to be a little bit differently than what you see

On nba.com but looking at that 15.1 uh defensive rating for this team over that stretch with uh the coaching change like that feels like something that could be sustainable now we’re going to see that put to the test because we’ve mentioned it numerous times how difficult the

Bucks upcoming schedule is but I think that you have a formula and the guys have been able to understand the defensive principles a bit better under doc he mentioned coming in like what I want to do is simplify things so guys aren’t thinking as much when they’re

Playing they get to just react and they get to play uh simplifying Concepts and establishing some ground rules for the guys like he mentioned how uh you saw Dame and bees crashing for rebounds and he’s like I mean it’s cool but like Damen Lillard we we don’t want him

Trying to get defensive rebounds like get back so there are certain like what we would say are like basic defensive fundamentals that Doc is just implementing um and trying to help this team think or not think and just play in addition to that uh it’s the conditioning levels with them having to

Get used to playing playing at this level of Defense under him which is a bit different than what they were being coached to do under Griff so there has been that conditioning aspect to it as well so the defense I think we can continue to see the Bucks be a top 12

Defense uh for the rest of the season uh probably even be scoo in the top 10 if they’re healthy because gotta keep in mind a few of those games they had um we haven’t had Chris Middleton who is one of their larger Wing Defenders as well which some people might say well what

Are you saying with Chris mlon being that guy and of course he’s not the same Defender that he was you know before the injuries four years ago but what we’ve seen this year he’s a bigger body he’s a smart Defender um he’s somebody who is Plus in

A team concept so you want Chris out there they haven’t had Chris for a few games they won a few games without Brook Lopez during that stretch as well we know how important he is to this bugs defense so even within those numbers of seeing them be a top 11 defense over the

Stretch there have been key pieces in and out of the lineup uh that will be really interesting to see how this bug seems able to come together defensively once everybody is here and you also have the Patrick Beverly Edition so it’s wondering to see how all this can come

Together but I think that once it does they can continue to be one of the you know top third defenses in the league so um in the interest of continuity here you mentioned I’ll give some of the numbers um in these comparisons but um since Doc Rivers was

Inserted as or shouldn’t say that since this coaching change was made for the bucks according to cleaning the glass they have the 11th best defense in the league and to me what’s notable about that is there isn’t a whole lot of separation from 5 to 11 all those teams

Are basically separated by one point per 100 possessions you have the Timberwolves who have been beyond Elite defensively the Timberwolves and the Cavaliers have faren away been the two best defensive teams aside from that from three all the way down to where the Bucks currently reside it’s a lot of

Teams you would expect with maybe one interesting one that you and I have talked about before Camille you have the Celtics you have the Oklahoma City Thunder you have the Orlando Magic you have the Houston Rockets who were one of the best defenses in the league earlier

In the season it’s started to come around a little bit more of late the Miami Heats the Golden State Warriors who have been beyond resurgent defensively and the surprises the Dallas Mavericks are up there at 9th the Phoenix Suns with the fifth best defense in the league since January 24th and you

Have the Milwaukee Bucks at 11 15.1 so not a whole lot of separation between five and 11 that’s the conversation you’re in now prior to the coaching change and again just looking at cleaning the glass the Bucks were 21st in defense there was a gap once you got

To around 18 or so so you were very clearly walled off from being a top half defense you weren’t close to it now in in the games that we’ve seen played since then you’ve been better than average and I’ve heard a little bit of the chatter of man the you know you got

Damen Lillard and you got Giannis but this defense just isn’t good enough look at I know it’s not a massive sample size but it is 13 games that we’re looking at the defense has been more than good enough if you are going to be sitting around 10 11 12 somewhere in that range

That is good enough for a team that has Giannis and Damen Lillard so it’s just a matter of consistently getting that night in night out and then as we’ll get to a little bit later really getting that offense corrected um for this Bucks

Team as well I do want to take a look at the offense but some of the differences that we’ve seen in this defense what they’re doing differently why we mentioned what’s Fool’s Gold what is believable and what isn’t because it’s been a much different looking defense we

Will get into that conversation and a whole lot more coming up after the break un locked on bucks well it is uh time now to talk to you about our friends at FanDuel get buckets with your first bet on FanDuel America’s number one sports book because right now new customers get

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Defensively prior to this coaching change offensively it it clearly has not been good enough we just made the case look the defense has been more than good enough right the offense hasn’t and I think what’s notable about this group is they’ve had a lot of Health for the most

Part all season long prior to the coaching change it’s been almost almost a 180 though not quite as much when you think about where the Bucks ranked in all these offensive numbers so looking at the four factors here for both sides of the ball the Bucks had the fourth

Best offense in the league according to cleaning the glass prior to the coaching change they had the fourth best effective field goal percentage they were fifth in turnover percentage in other words the amount of possessions that resulted in a turnover when they had the ball they were third in free

Throw R so how frequently do you get to the free throw line they were 24th in offensive rebounding not great uh there defensively the only thing that really stood out was they were holding opponents to a relatively low effective field goal percentage and they were 10th

In free throw rat so they were fouling more than we saw under bud but not to an excessive amount they weren’t forcing turnovers they weren’t rebounding the ball defensively they were given up way too many transition breaks and it just meant as good as you were offensively

It was kind of lost in what you saw defensively now since offense has been the issue right that we pointed to uh all of your offensive numbers in those four factors are in the middle of the pack your 18th in offensive efficiency you’re 12th in effective field goal

Percentage 11th in turnover 14th in free throw rate that’s the biggest one they’re not getting to the line quite as much as they were but your your defense has started to rise it is worth pointing out in these 13 games games what seven of them for all intents and purposes

Have been without Chris Middleton which is a big piece I know Dame and Giannis are huge but that’s a big piece to be without uh three of them without Brook Lopez two without Damen Lillard one of those games without any of those three guys so of course that’s going to have

An impact on the offense however um it it started with me kind of saying look I get the offense hasn’t been great when we would point out the defensive numbers and people ask well what about the offense it is a little bit harder to sweep that under

The rug at this point with 13 games and seeing the same things but I still kind of cling to I just got to see this group healthy similar to the conversation that we had about Dame we got to see it in the playoffs I just gotta see this group

Healthy I got to see Chris Middleton on the floor with this group under doc river system consistently and oh by the way that that version of Damen Lillard that we were calling for yesterday I gotta see that out there before I start to make any judgment on the offense yeah

Absolutely and we have to also think about the level of competition that the Bucks have been playing since the coaching change has occurred which I think is a big piece of it like the month of December when the Bucks went on their their big streak their win streak

Like you’re looking at who they’re playing against right month of December just really quickly running through it Atlanta New York Indiana Chicago Indiana Detroit Houston San Antonio Orlando New York New York Brooklyn Cleveland now you hear those teams and you’re not hearing a lot of super like defensive teams

Where you’re like hey that’s going to be a tough night the calendar changes and of course we had that Indiana back toback with them and we know how that series goes they had San Anton they had Houston and during that stretch there where you’re looking at them uh they

Lost a majority of those games outside of that San Antonio game then you had the Utah game that they lost and you’re like these are games that feel as if the buck should be winning in these situations here then you have Boston Golden State Sacramento Cleveland Detroit Detroit Cleveland I should say

After the Detroit games that were both kind of the last one was kind of close where you’re like hey you know this is Detroit that’s when the coaching change happens then you see Cleveland twice New Orleans Denver Portland Dallas Utah Phoenix Minnesota Charlotte Denver Miami and Memphis and the Memphis loss that

One yes that was a bad loss you don’t want to see that uh with the the team that the Memphis grizli were rolling out there on the floor Flor but looking at the numbers okay this is the level of comp that you’re going to be looking to

See too as the postseason rolls around there are not going to be any scrubs there where you’re like hey this is going to be an easy go so competition does play a part in it as well but I mean there was also the coaching change

There um and guys just have to get back to uh finding their comfort levels in this new system what was really interesting to me is that since the coaching change the Bucks three-point shooting leader has been Pat conon which I’m not sure if anybody would have

Thought or guessed on a low volume of course Pat only has gotten up about two threes a game but he’s been knocking him down at a 46% clip and then you have Bobby Portis following him 43.5% uh meanwhile you have your Malik Beasley down at 38.1% since the change

You have Damen Lillard down at 30.3 like Giannis is shooting 35% from three since the coaching change which again volume matters but it just goes to show uh what we are looking for again hoping the Three-Point Contest and the weekend being done now can help jump start uh

Dame a bit you’re hoping that Malik Beasley can get back into his comfort zone uh there as well so uh there’s room for growth with this team and you’re seeing it you’re seeing where they can get better at um and then there’s also going to be possibly the addition of

Theo galiner it hasn’t been made official yet but he’s supposed to be coming on the buyout Market who could be another guy to throw out there uh for bench units maybe it’s a night where Bobby doesn’t have it you can throw him out there see if he can get you some

Buckets as well because uh he’s a scorer he can get you some bucket so the Bucks offense has to be better there is no there’s no question about that like you can’t sugarcoat that it has to be better that’s why you made the trade for Dame

It’s for the offense to be elite so you’re looking for the Bucs offense uh to return to form of what you saw earlier under Adrien Griffin uh as the season continues to to wind down here yeah a couple of things that you bring up there when we look at the teams that

The Bucs have played because that’s a good point and there are some numbers that back up just what we’ve seen and again reasons for optimism despite what we’d seen in the last week or so in terms of the record we will get into that and wrap things up after this unlocked on

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Customers all right Camille um you mentioned the schedule the Bucks had uh gone through and I do think it’s worth pointing out this in the first 43 games of the season when the Bucks had that 30 and 13 record you look at games played against teams in the top 10 relative

Essentially to their net rating um the Bucks played nine games out of 43 against that group now the good news is they were six and three in those games uh they had the third best offense against those teams their defense was sixth the best which is a trend we’ll

Get to in a moment but nine out of 43 so in other words one out of every five games you were playing was against the best teams in the league since the coaching change the Bucs have played 13 games and they have played Seven against those caliber teams

They’ve gone three and four but those three wins are tied for the most in the league against those teams since that time period and again what stands out is the Bucks defense has been sixth best in the league in those games offense has been 13th so it it fits what we’ve seen

Overall with the offense but that just backs up look this schedule’s been incredibly challenging but that brings me to my last point is is those records and the ratings that I mentioned where the Bucks currently sit in those games against the best teams in the league I

Know there’s a lot of difference in the pre- and post coaching change but if we look at the season as a whole in those games the Bucks are nine and seven so they played 16 of their 56 games against the best competition that’s out there they’re nine and seven the Oklahoma City

Thunder Los Angeles Lakers Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves are the four teams that have won more games against that level of competition you look at teams around the Bucks uh the New York Knicks are six- nine in those games the Sixers are six and seven in those games the Cavs are four- seven

Bucks are nine and seven above 500 they have the seventh best offense best in effective field goal percentage fifth best defense and fifth in opponent’s effective field goal percentage they have been at their best when the competition has been their best and I think that’s what we’ve seen by

And large for this season is this version of the Bucks they can beat anybody they can lose they lose is the other side of that coin yeah absolutely but that’s something that’s encouraging like that’s something I would look at because again come playoff time you’re not going to be playing against the

Worst of the worst is going to be against the best of the best and that’s one thing I’ve noticed with this team under both head coaches where it seems just some games they don’t have the effort or the focus where it’s like are you guys really like is are you playing

Down the competition are you just not here it’s a random Tuesday in December like you know what I mean like the season is long understand um and those are questions I’ve had under both head coaches so far I was looking at that Memphis game that they just had um

Heading into All-Star break we know was heading into break doc mentioned himself like half the guys were in Cabo half the guys were here but that’s a game where thinking of the standings they’re two and a half games behind the Cavaliers right now for second in the East right

And they played that Memphis game after losing to a short-handed Miami team at home so you were thinking hey heading into the break would be really good to get a win keep pacing the stand ings going to the break on a good note instead they went into it on a really

Sour note and it’s not our first time seeing that we saw this team lose to Houston earlier this year under Griff we heard Giannis come out talking about how everyone had to have pride they had to be better play better do better we have to want it we have to understand it and

Then the very next game they go to Utah and they lose by like almost 20 points so it’s one of those things where you were like hey we just talked about Pride about effort you had your star player saying it then you come in lay another

Egg like this team seems to get up for the big games and that’s a trait in it where you’re thinking postseason wise like that’s going to come in handy you’re ready for the moment regular season it might lead to some very infuriating losses uh because like we

Said you can beat anyone but you can lose to anybody as well are you going to have the effort uh to to play hard for a full 48 even against competition that looking at the standings you’re like they can’t hang with us it’s any given night everyone’s getting paid so you

Have to bring that so I do look at that for the postseason lens and I’m like hey that should bear well but I do want to see this team consistently play well to end out this season because again coaching change we understand everything that they’ve had going for them and all

The changes that they have been faced with so you want to see them come together start to jail bring that Unity so that’s what I’m hoping to see going forward to end the season I think it’s a good thing that they’ve been able to hang with the best teams we’ve seen them

Clutch time we know how they turn up when the pressure is on so it’s good trait to have we’ll love to see a few more of those blowout wins um along the way to end the season I don’t know if my heart can take too much of that uh

Before the postseason starts yeah and just to answer the last question too in terms of what’s real and what isn’t uh I I do think you not to be too much of a homer here I do think the offense is largely what isn’t real that that’s

Going to continue to develop and and we both expect to see a much different and more efficient Damen Lillard you need Chris Middleton back as well and that’s going to juice your offense you mentioned that other name that’s allegedly joining the team that’s another area that’s going to help with

Your spacing and Danilo galinari in a player not just threes but mid-range jumpers as well that’s been an issue for the bucks this season so I do think that’s part of what isn’t real for this team what is real to me is the defense and where they currently sit um it’s not

Out of the expectations to say can this team finish somewhere around there can you get into the top 15 for your overall body of work maybe but just in terms of post coaching change I do think we’ve seen enough from this team to to see

They can be a top 12 maybe even top 10 defense because they’ve been rebounding they’ve been cleaning up their transition play and all of that has also helped them clean up those points in the paint and in Second Chance points so you’ve grabbed the low hanging fruit and

Started to improve it there as Frank often mentions with Mike buholzer you’ve started to do some of that with Doc Rivers and the last thing is as we just went through your reasons for optimism are number one the strides we’ve seen defensively but also your record in

Those games against the best teams in the league especially since the coaching change was made and the last thing I’ll throw out there as well before we wrap up here Camille is you know we mentioned they’ve been at their best when they have their best out there in those

Minutes with Giannis Dame Chris Middleton and Brook Lopez On The Floor together the bucks are in the 998th percentile offensively with a 125.75 percentile defensively at 109.3 for context the best defense in the league right now is the Timberwolves who are 108.2 the Cavs are at 110 and I

Just mentioned the Bucks in those minutes 109.3 so right in the middle of those two teams that again is what we keep pointed to when we say I trust this team in those big moments they have a track record of this and again those numbers so far back it up this season yeah

Absolutely that’s what I’m looking at that’s what I’m Clinging On to for Hope with this season like again it’s been a frustrating season it’s been a lot of change it’s been a lot of should this should Adrien Griffin be here should be on the hot SE should he be gone like

It’s been a lot this season and I know some bugs fans have said like it’s not even enjoyable when you’re playing with expectations it’s different it’s different like that’s why I always try to keep the focus of just saying I’m taking each game as it comes each season

As it comes because I understand like hey we have a franchise Talent here with Yan DMO as long as he here the Bucks have a chance but with that comes a lot of pressure so try I would say the Bucs fans who are struggling to enjoy uh the

Basketball so far this season just remember you’re a you’re watching one of the greatest players of all time suit up for your hometown team or your favorite team if you’re not from Milwaukee you’re watching it game in and game out at least try to find the joy um and some of

The characters and some of the players who were able to watch here because there’s going to come a time where this era is done and we’re going to look back on it and be like what a time in bugs basketball so I would try to offer that

As well just look at what’s in front of you um if you know hey we’re hoping that things in the postseason they start clicking and that’s the that’s the Hope um as I mentioned we are still ironing out the details for a special guest to join us here later this week

And also we do have to spend some time a little bit later in the week as well on those additions that the Bucks have made to the roster here in the form of a two-way and a buyout addition here so we’ll get into that coming up as well as

We get you set for the return to basketball and the second half schedule for Camille I am Justin we’ll talk to you once again tomorrow on lock on bucks

Justin and Camille take a look at the Bucks defense at the All-Star break. They’ve gone from 22nd to 17th overall since the coaching change and are hovering around 10th best in the league in the 13 games played since that change, what is real and what is fools gold in those numbers. Plus we take a look at the offense, while the defense has improved the offense has taken a step backward, how much of that has to do with the available personnel? Justin and Camille dig into that and the Bucks numbers with their best players on the floor and more importantly, against the league’s best teams on the latest Locked on Bucks

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