Doc Rivers’ Dubious Decision to Prefer Giannis Antetokounmpo Over Damian Lillard Confuses NBA World

The Milwaukee Bucks were beaten by Portland with a 116-119 score tonight. Doc Rivers’ second game with the Bucks and he is already facing the wrath of the NBA world. Giannis Antetokounmpo, while an offensive threat, isn’t exactly the best when it comes to free throws.

So watching the Bucks inbound to Giannis and the Blazers taking that opportunity to foul got everyone shaking their head. And Rob Perez didn’t mince any words as he called Coach Rivers out.

Following this was a flurry of comments that supported, provided reasons, and looked just as confused as Perez. This user, for example, wished he could read Doc’s mind.

The next user added a dash of style as he commented, “The Doc Rivers special.”

This guy kept it simple as he said, “Doc decision.“

While this one asked the head-scratching question, “Why would the Bucks have Dame inbound to Giannis? Strange decision.”

And finally, this user did not provide the courtesy the above one extended as he fact-checked Giannis’ weakness on the free throw line.

Maybe Milwaukee was banking on the Trail Blazers not fouling. Because if that happens, what they will get is a 6’11 Flash streaking down the court to the basket. Yet, that does not provide enough comfort for the fact that had it been Lillard at the free-throw line, they would have easily gotten the win.

The Bucks are sitting comfortably in the second with a 32-16 record. As such, they were able to afford the luxury of swapping coach mid-season. And they can also get away with a few losses in the grander scheme of things. But is that all what’s required for a team that has a stagnant offense?

What Doc can do to fix the Bucks’ offensive condition

The simple answer is the Bucks need to get Damian Lillard more involved on offense. Granted, Antetokounmpo loves to keep the ball in his hand, and Dame has no qualms in relegating possession. After all, he leads the team in assists – 6.8 per game. The nagging Achilles injury of the 8x All-Star also adds motivation to get Giannis to focus on defense.

Read More: “S**t Wasn’t No Better”: $40 Million Rich Doc Rivers’ Failure Called Out by Ex-NBA Champion With Bucks

Of the 48 games played this season, Damian Lillard has only led the team in scoring 11 times. Lillard is one of the most prolific scorers in the NBA. And pairing him with the “Greek Freak” was supposed to make them an offensive juggernaut. As we can see, Adrian Griffin was fired exactly because he couldn’t get this rolling.

Although Rivers has been making some questionable decisions now, it’s still early. Hopefully, they can find a balance sooner rather than later!

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