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Milwaukee Bucks must balance winning vs health down the stretch

By Brian Sampson

LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 29: Head coach Mike Budenholzer of the Milwaukee Bucks reacts on the sideline during the first half of the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on March 29, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 29: Head coach Mike Budenholzer of the Milwaukee Bucks reacts on the sideline during the first half of the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on March 29, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /
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Ever since head coach Mike Budenholzer landed with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2018, he’s been careful not to play his guys too many minutes. It was a compliment to his coaching style at first, but then the minutes limit carried over into the postseason and it suddenly became a detriment to his team advancing. Now, he must find the right balance for his players down the stretch over an overloaded second-half of the season.

The 2020-21 season was never going to be normal. Covid-19 wasn’t going to allow that. However, the NBA and Player’s Association made some business decisions about the number of games this season (72) in order to maximize their financial returns. In doing so, that put the players at risk by cramming a lot of games into a short span. Especially after the All-Star break.

The Bucks’ season ends on May 16th–just 10 days after the writing of this article. However, they still have six games remaining and will have played 25 games in the final 46 days of the season, including a massive eight back-to-back sets.

The Milwaukee Bucks need to be careful not to stretch their players too thin down the stretch of a busy second-half schedule.

Budenholzer and the Bucks aren’t the only team facing this struggle as it’s a league-wide issue. Milwaukee is in a unique position standings-wise. They are currently in third place in the Eastern Conference and are three games behind the Philadelphia 76ers for first place–a deficit that’s probably too large to overcome barring something unforeseen at this point. However, they’re only one game behind the Brooklyn Nets for second place in the East and they own the tie-breaker after beating them in consecutive games earlier this week.

It’s already going to be hell trying to go through both Brooklyn and Philadelphia to get to the NBA Finals, but could it be a bit easier if they were the two-seed instead of the three? That’s debatable.

Having Game 7 at the Fiserv Forum is the obvious advantage to jumping the Nets, but with fan attendance limited it’s a mitigating factor this year. Milwaukee could increase the number of fans they allow in by that point which could help boost the Bucks’ homecourt advantage.

The other advantage would be playing a lesser team in Round 1. The bottom part of the conference is ever-changing, but as of right now, the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat have identical 35-31 records and are in sixth and seventh place–1.5 games behind the Atlanta Hawks in fifth and 2.5 games ahead of the Charlotte Hornets in eighth. The Celtics and the Heat are the two teams Milwaukee probably most wants to avoid in the first round so that doesn’t really help.

The other factor Budenholzer must take into consideration is the health of his players. Not only is he responsible for ensuring his guys are physically able to play, but also that they have their legs under them and have the energy and conditioning necessary to log high minutes in the postseason.

Perhaps, Budenholzer tipped his hand on Wednesday night about how he’s going to handle all these factors. The Bucks, playing the back half of a back-to-back, sat Khris Middleton and limited Giannis Antetokounmp (30 minutes), Jrue Holiday (32 minutes), and the rest of the squad. Will he continue to take turns resting his Big Three in their next and final two back-to-back sets?

Next. Ranking Bucks potential first round opponents. dark

Holiday is on record for saying how good Budenholzer is at managing their bodies. You know it’s at the top of his mind, as the Bucks try to kick their bad playoff habit of an early exit and advance deep into the postseason.

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