The Milwaukee Bucks ended last year’s playoff run with a whimper. But, they’re back as one of the top teams in the league and will be looking for another opportunity to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy. On paper, the Bucks are one of the best teams in the league. Unfortunately, they have one glaring weakness that could cut their postseason run short once again.
Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo form a deadly combination that the Bucks have built around, but both of these players have one common weakness and it could reveal its ugly head at any moment. Let’s take a closer look at one reason Bucks fans should be concerned no matter how good the team looks at various points during the regular season.
Athleticism is critical for both Bucks stars
Lillard and Giannis both have a style of play that is highly conducive to injury risk. They each also rely on athleticism in a way that will amplify any loss of burst, speed, leaping ability or agility. Lillard relies heavily on his first step and dribbling ability to get by defenders on the perimeter, which opens up plenty of options for either a drive to the rim or a step back or sidestep to create space for an open look at a three-pointer.
On the other hand, Antetokounmpo is an absolute physical freak in terms of his height, weight, and wingspan. What makes Giannis truly special though, is that he is also an athletic specimen. He can jump from near the free-throw line and glide all the way to the rim for thunderous dunks. He also can hang in the air and wait for his defender to get pulled back down to the ground by gravity, leaving the Greek Freak wide open near the rim for a nearly uncontested layup opportunity.
Antetokounmpo is also blazing fast, and not just because of his long strides. He’s able to accelerate in the blink of an eye, which gives him the ability to take a rebound at one end and single-handedly push the ball down the court. This puts pressure on the defense and can break their integrity or give the Bucks a numerical advantage, which often leads to somebody finding himself wide-open for an easy layup.
If Giannis loses some of his speed, burst or high-flying talent, it could seriously hamper what he does on the court. This is particularly true because he has never been an elite perimeter shooter.
Health will be Bucks’ fatal flaw
In last season’s postseason play, untimely injuries doomed the Bucks. Giannis and Lillard both missed multiple games and their combined talents being stuck on the bench was simply too much for the rest of the short-handed team to overcome.
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While that was a slightly different scenario in that both injuries could have happened to anybody, the reality is that older players are at greater risk for injury. The Greek Freak and the former Portland Trail Blazers star are both a year older now and they both have considerable injury histories. That doesn’t bode well for their future availability.
The other concern is that they both rely on athleticism to such a significant extent. If injuries sap Antetokounmpo of his trademark explosiveness and agility, it could make him a significantly lesser threat to get to the rim with ease. Likewise, if Lillard loses some of his athleticism, it will be detrimental to his game in a different way.
Lillard is still an elite shooter and likely always will be, but his real value comes from shot creation. This creation ability relies on his explosiveness to get defenders off-balance and use their momentum against them to create separation. Lillard needs to have a credible first step so defenders have to be wary of cutting off his drives and he also has to be able to push off of one leg to create space on step backs.
A diminished Lillard would still be a useful three-point specialist, but that is not the role they need him to play. This Bucks team can only succeed if Lillard is at the top of his game as a primary offensive initiator and Giannis is wreaking havoc in transition and within the restricted area.