Milwaukee — When Doc Rivers took over as the Milwaukee Bucks coach in the middle of the season, he left broadcasting behind, but he hasn’t stopped talking.
Since he joined the team in late January, the Bucks’ defence has significantly improved thanks to his talkativeness. Since the All-Star break, the Bucks have won six straight games and have the best defensive rating in the NBA.
After the Bucks overcame the Los Angeles Clippers 113-106 on Monday night without the injured two-time MVP , All-Star guaGiannis Antetokounmpord Damian Lillard stated, “It’s a lot of talking with Doc.” “There are times when we should be starting practice when we get on the court, but Doc keeps talking for fifteen minutes straight.”
Lillard went into length on how Rivers will assign roles to players and explain how those roles fit into the team’s overall defensive strategy.
According to Lillard, “sometimes you need what we want to happen to make sense verbally.” After that, we go through it together, and you begin to comprehend it. And that’s how you develop that conviction and faith and come to the same conclusion. I believe he has established a setting that is understandable to anyone. Everything is apparent. We rehearse it ten or fifteen times before we are able to perform it because of the way it is being given to us.
With a 3-7 record in their first 10 games under Rivers, who left his position at ESPN to take over the Bucks following Adrian Griffin’s sacking, Milwaukee stumbled into the All-Star break. However, the Bucks are now second in the Eastern Conference, one spot behind the Boston Celtics, having not lost since the break.
Even though the Bucks were 30-13 at the time of Griffin’s dismissal, their defensive woes raised questions about their potential as championship contenders. When it came to points allowed per 100 possessions, the Bucks’ defensive rating under Griffin was 21st in the NBA.
In the past few weeks, they have advanced significantly.
Four of the Bucks’ six-game winning run came against teams who scored fewer than 100 points, which is a first for the team since February 2018. After only doing so once in its first 52 games, Milwaukee has allowed fewer than 100 points in six of its past 10 games.
Despite Antetokounmpo’s absence due to left Achilles tendinitis, the Bucks demonstrated their flexibility by using a zone during their comeback, even if they eventually let up more than 100 points against the Clippers on Monday. Despite Khris Middleton, a three-time All-Star who has missed 11 straight games due to a sprained left ankle, the Bucks have improved defensively.
Rivals streamlined things and made everyone’s defensive responsibility clear, according to the players.
According to guard Malik Beasley, “everything is black and white.” “There are no ambiguities. On back selections, we are skilled at what we do. When it comes to pick-and-rolls, we are pros. Who is doing this and what they are doing is known to us. It’s beginning to come naturally to us. That’s what happens when you have a squad that excels at defence. Like on offence, everyone is connected.
By adding three-time All-Defensive Team selection Patrick Beverley, Milwaukee also strengthened its perimeter defence. With Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez, who placed second in last year’s Defensive Player of the Year competition, the Bucks already had an abundance of defensive weapons in the frontcourt.
