The Bucks hoped last Thursday’s win over Boston would act as a catalyst as they look to turn their season around. But they’ve since dropped back-to-back games to Brooklyn and Toronto and now have an 11-17 record, with Giannis Antetokounmpo seemingly not close to returning from the calf strain that has sidelined him since December 3.
Still, head coach Doc Rivers said this week that he doesn’t plan to make any major tactical or personnel changes as Milwaukee attempts to get out of its slump, per Steve Megargee of The Associated Press.
“We like our team,” Rivers told reporters on Wednesday. “I really like this team. We’re not playing well. We’re not playing well for a lot of reasons. You don’t recreate the wheel. You just don’t. Teams that do that, then they fail. I’m just being honest. I’ve been around this long enough.
“… We want to tweak things. We like what we run. We like our defensive package overall. We’ve just got to do it better. We’ve got to take care of the ball. But we like the parts of this team, and that has not changed. This is not, ‘OK, guys, we’re five games under .500, let’s blow it all up.’ This is not where we’re at. We’re not even thinking in those terms.”
We have more from around the Central:
- Shortly after Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com published a column advocating for the Cavaliers to move De’Andre Hunter out of the starting lineup, the team did just that on Wednesday, as Fedor writes in a separate story (subscription required). The early returns weren’t great, as the new starting five – with Jaylon Tyson in Hunter’s spot – was outscored by eight points in 11 minutes of action in a loss to Chicago. However, sources tell Fedor that the Cavs plan to stick with it for the foreseeable future in the hopes of stabilizing the second unit and getting Hunter, who thrived as a sixth man last season, back in his “comfort zone.”
- According to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times, the Bulls‘ priority in the coming months shouldn’t be competing for a play-in spot — it should be doing all they can to unlock the star potential of forward Matas Buzelis, who has been up and down in his second NBA season. In Cowley’s view, it’s not inconceivable that Buzelis and Josh Giddey could be the only current Bulls still on the roster in a year, so maximizing their potential is crucial.
- As Tony East of Circle City Spin details, a handful of Pacers players provided updates this week on injuries they’re coming back from or are continuing to deal with. Among those players was Bennedict Mathurin, who admitted that the toe injury which sidelined him for 11 games earlier in the season isn’t fully behind him. “Still an issue. I would say it’s still a problem, but I’m a problem solver, I find solutions,” said Mathurin, who has played in every game since November 17. Asked specifically how the injury is affecting what he does on the court, the Pacers wing replied, “Without saying too much, I can still feel it, man.”