Expert calls it "unusual" for a title contender like the Milwaukee Bucks to not have a backup point guard

Could this unusual decision cost the Milwaukee Bucks their chance at championship glory?

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If you’re a fan of the Milwaukee Bucks, the elephant in the room (aside from Giannis’ contract situation) is the team’s lack of a bona fide backup point guard. While Jrue Holiday is one of the league’s best point guards, he’s no spring chicken. The former UCLA star has missed 15 games in each of his last two seasons and a whopping 23 in his first season with the Bucks in 2021.

Eric Nehm, an expert who covers the Bucks for The Athletic, calls the situation “interesting” and “unusual,” especially with general manager Jon Horst expressing his contentment with the team’s current make-up.

Light depth

The point guard position is arguably the most demanding and important on the floor. The Bucks are short on depth here, having only Holiday as the starter and two two-way players in TyTy Washington and Lindell Wigginton backing him up.

“Horst appears willing to cover for this weakness slightly by having two point guards (TyTy Washington Jr. and Lindell Wigginton) in the team’s three two-way roster spots, but even with Washington’s promising potential, that is pretty light coverage for the point guard spot,” Nehm wrote.

Light is an understatement, considering Wigginton has played a total of 26 games in his two-year career, while Washington is coming off a rookie season that saw him play 31 games and shoot an abysmal 36 percent from the field.

Tough spot

Horst said in July that he’s at peace with where the Bucks are right now, despite the lack of a true backup guard, saying the team has a lot of secondary ballhandlers who could assume playmaking responsibilities. However, that could all change instantly if and when Holiday suffers a serious injury.

“Unless some sort of trade or transaction is made before the start of the season, the Bucks would be in a really tough spot if Holiday picks up a long-term injury,” Nehm added.