Former All-Star Still Doesn't Believe Bucks Have Turned Their Season Around

The Bucks have gone 5-1 in their last six games.

Oct 14, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) and guard Damian Lillard (0) look on in the second quarter against the Chicago Bulls at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images / Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

After stumbling out of the block to a shocking 2-8 start, the Milwaukee Bucks' 2024-25 regular season appeared to be borderline doomed. Milwaukee looked utterly out of sorts defensively, especially along the perimeter. Then-starting guards Damian Lillard and Gary Trent Jr. were effectively turnstiles, letting opposing guards enjoy free reign along the arc and at the rim. All-Defensive mainstays Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez were forced to (try to) clean up after them around the paint, a tough task given that they were also trying to cut off their frontcourt counterparts.

So already-embattled second-year head coach Doc Rivers made a change, installing second-year swingman Andre Jackson Jr. in at shooting guard ahead of Trent. Rivers also started giving two-way shooting guard AJ Green more opportunities — and he suddenly looks like the second coming of Pat Connaughton (who, in a diminished form, is very much still on the roster). And it instantly made a difference. The Bucks have gone 5-1 in their last six games, and now sit at a semi-respectable 7-9 on the year, already good for the No. 6 seed in the lowly Eastern Conference. Only four East clubs sport records better than .500.

Former three-time Washington Wizards All-Star point guard Gilbert Arenas, for one, is skeptical that the club's transition is for real — at least, at the level of making Milwaukee a legitimate title contender this year. In fairness, the 6-foot-4 Arizona product weighed in when the Bucks' recent turnaround was "just" 3-1. They have since won another two straight bouts.

"I'm sorry, but what are we talking about?" Arenas said. "You're supposed to be a championship-caliber team, coming into the season as [a] top-four, -five [contender], and you want to celebrate, you're beating bottom-feeding teams." Arenas then applauded sarcastically. "Cool, let's clap, right? One of their biggest wins was against Philly. Look at their record right now."

"So I got a top-75 player [of all time and a] first-ballot Hall of Famer, probably at this moment in time he's a power forward, he's probably done already cracked, what, the top seven power forwards of all time? And you're telling me we're winning by one [against the Houston Rockets], we should be excited? They're [Antetokounmpo and Lillard] on the same team."

Both Antetokounmpo and Lillard were honored as two of the 75 greatest players ever, on the league's 75th anniversary team in 2022. Antetokounmpo has enjoyed more postseason success than Lillard and is unquestionably the best player on the team (though Lillard is a bit past his All-NBA prime at age 34). In the lackluster East, could the rising Bucks eventually secure a top-four seed and homecourt in the first round? Of course. It's a very long season, and the Bucks are just 2.5 games behind the No. 3-seeded New York Knicks (9-6) and the No. 4-seeded Orlando Magic (10-7).

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