Bucks in Flux: Doc Rivers Experimental Lineup Sparks Controversy
Can one-time champion head coach Doc Rivers help lead the Milwaukee Bucks back to the promised land this summer?
The club has improved to a 37-28 record following a dominant 126-106 victory over an ailing Los Angeles Lakers squad on Thursday night. Milwaukee is currently in a three-team battle for the Eastern Conference’s No. 4 seed and homecourt advantage.
The 36-28 Indiana Pacers, Saturday night’s opponent, are just 0.5 contests behind Milwaukee, while the 37-30 Detroit Pistons trail the Bucks by a full game.
But head coach Doc Rivers is employing a controversial first five. After the Bucks traded former All-Star small forward Khris Middleton to the Washington Wizards in exchange for combo forward Kyle Kuzma, Rivers opted to demote former starting shooting guard Andre Jackson Jr. (who is now out of the rotation) and move swingman Taurean Prince — who had been starting over Middleton — to a shooting guard role next to All-Star point guard Damian Lillard.
Per Eric Nehm of The Athletic, the early returns on Rivers’ unorthodox starting lineup have been positive so far. But fissures have been showing.
“Coming out of the All-Star break, the Bucks won six of their first seven games. They won three games on the road and beat both the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets at home for two of their better wins of the season and they did so using an unconventional starting lineup of Lillard, Taurean Prince, Kyle Kuzma, Antetokounmpo and Lopez,” Nehm observes.
More Milwaukee Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard Could Miss Pacers Rematch with Lingering Injuries
As Nehm goes on to note, Prince, Kuzma, and nine-time All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo have all at one point or another been played at the power forward spot. Prince is hardly a traditional two-guard, while Kuzma can occasionally struggle with small perimeter covers.
“In 334 possessions, that lineup [rounded out by starting center Brook Lopez] has posted a plus-9.6 net rating with a 118.3 offensive rating (77th percentile) and a 108.8 defensive rating (91st percentile),” writes Nehm. “With an unusually sized lineup though, Rivers has been forced to go with nontraditional defensive matchups with Prince often getting matched up with the opponent’s top perimeter scoring option to start games and Kuzma sometimes getting the responsibility in the second half or earlier than that on switches.”
When these defensive possessions break down, the Bucks occasionally send two bigs to cover smaller, quicker guards in multiple possessions. Sticking Antetokounmpo and Lopez onto All-Star Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton late in Milwaukee’s 115-114 loss on Tuesday resulted in this.
“So, is it sustainable to continue to have Prince and Kuzma defend elite guards in the postseason?” Nehm wonders.
Considering that the Pacers — who boast a superstar scorer and passer in Haliburton — or the Pistons — who start newly minted All-Star point guard Cade Cunningham — could very well be the Bucks’ opening round opponent, it’s a pertinent question.
