The most glaring red flags in the Milwaukee Bucks' 3-game losing streak

The Bucks have a couple of issues that need to be fixed.

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The Milwaukee Bucks started off the 2022/2023 season strong and jumped off the top of the NBA standings. But recently there have been a few ups and downs, and the Bucks are currently in the midst of a three-game losing streak. It is obvious that Milwaukee just like any team has its weaknesses, and this is what they need to focus on to get back on track.

Lack of ball movement

The Bucks were dominant on both sides of the floor to start the season. But ever since December 15th, they have dropped to 29th in point differential, 29th in offensive rating, and 30th in defensive rating.

When the game slows down and there are plays to be made in the halfcourt, everything falls on Giannis Antetokounmpo to make something happen, while the 4 four other guys on the court spread the floor. 

This has been a problem for years, and even though they improved a bit in that category, Milwaukee is still in the bottom half of the league when it comes to passes and assists per game.

Shot making

Giannis' usage has been sky-high, ranking third in the entire NBA only behind Luka Doncic and Ja Morant. The superstar is also getting double-teamed at a record rate, and being the willing passer he is, Antetokounmpo has created a lot of good looks for his teammates. The only problem is that they haven't been knocking them down consistently.

Some of the main snipers on this team like Pat Connaughton (32.6%), Wesley Matthews (32.7%), and Joe Ingles (17.6%) haven't been hitting the deep bombs at a high rate, as Grayson Allen has been the rare dependable shooter, making 40.2% of his three-point shots.

Defensive decline

Defense has been the calling card of the Bucks for years, and this season has been no different, taking them to the top of the standings. But recently the performance on that side of the floor has been declining.

The emphasis on guarding the perimeter and limiting three-point shots was highly effective to start the season, but that has slowly fallen off to the old ways, ranking 19th in opponents' three-point percentage ever since the December 15th mark.

Jrue Holiday and Jevon Carter are doing an admirable job, but they will need more help if they want to climb atop of the defensive rankings once again.

The verdict

All of this sound very concerning and bad, but this is only a small sample size of games in a very long season. Ups and downs happen, and the Bucks will only learn more from the bumps in the road.

After all, they are still 22-11, with the second-best record in the NBA despite the space to become even better in these segments. If all these pieces fall together, Milwaukee will be the team to beat once the Playoffs arrive.