Stephen A. Smith Points Out Bucks’ Glaring Discrepancies in Doc Rivers Era

The latest episode of “The Stephen A. Smith Show” is out and the outspoken analyst dissects Milwaukee Bucks’ recent loss to the Grizzlies and it’s not looking good for coach Doc Rivers! NBA expert Smith delves into the Milwaukee Bucks’ losing streak and gives his unfiltered opinion on the possible reason why the Championship team fell off despite starting the season on a high note. Seems like all roads lead to Rivers!

On February 16th, the Milwaukee Bucks suffered a humiliating loss of 110-113 against the Memphis Grizzlies despite Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s 35-point performance. NBA expert Stephen A. Smith began addressing the problem by stating, “The Milwaukee Bucks have now fallen 3-7 under Doc Rivers their new head coach courtesy of the Memphis Grizzlies loss last night.”

Acknowledging his personal connection with Rivers, Smith stated, “Now, when you look at Doc Rivers, this is my buddy, I’ve known him  for years, got a lot of love for him.” The crux of his criticism lies in the turnaround in the team’s performance under Rivers’ defensive-minded approach. Smith continues, “but some of the things that I’m seeing right now, I’m not happy about…Doc Rivers coming in…obviously the mandate was defense. Well, here’s the deal, the Milwaukee Bucks went from 19th from defensive efficiencies to 10. Good news. Here’s the bad news: they went from number 2 in offensive efficiency to 24th.”

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Moreover, Smith highlighted the decline in Giannis’ shooting since Rivers’ arrival. “He’s shooting 6% less from the field,” Smith pointed out, further elaborating on the team’s overall offensive struggles. “Not to mention the fact that they’re shooting worse from the field, they’re shooting worse from 3-point range. So all of a sudden you’re struggling offensively which is not a good sign because Damian Lillard is there. I’d rather you suffered defensively,” he stated.

A wake-up call for the Bucks?

With no Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Jared Jackson, Luke Kennard, or Brandon Clarke and even their big men, Xavier Tillman and Steve Adams having been traded makes the Memphis Grizzlies brutally short of their starting players.

The young Grizzlies team was represented by Santi Aldama, Ziaire Williams, Trey Jemison, Vince Williams Jr,. and Jordan Goodwin. Notably, none of those players have been in the NBA longer than since 2021 and only one (Williams) was taken in the first 25 picks of their drafts but Docs’ response to their loss was, “We had some guys here, we had some guys in Cabo,” a comment Smith took issue with.

The Bucks currently stand at 35-21, overshadowed by their recent loss. Even though their defensive efficiency has gone up, their offensive efficiency has come to an embarrassing low as pointed out by NBA expert Smith. Can they pull back up for their next match-up against the Minnesota Timberwolves? Comment your thoughts below!

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