Is it cooked?

Notes on the Bucks, the NBA and America.

Good morning.

Dos jóvenes a la mesa; Diego Velazquez; 1622

For the love of all that is holy, let’s basketball.

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Are the Bucks cooked?

The Milwaukee Bucks have lost six straight games and are tied for the worst record in the league at 1-6. The margins remain narrow because the season is so young — a two-game winning streak could launch them back up into the play-in picture — but it’s an odd place for a would-be title contender to be two weeks into the season without any surprising, unexpected injury absences. The Sixers, for instance, are 1-5, but have gotten a combined one game out of their two most accomplished players. The Bucks have gotten 13 of the possible 14 appearances out of their two most accomplished players, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.

And those two, by and large, have played up to their standards. Giannis is averaging 31-13-6 while shooting 63% from the field. Dame is averaging 28-6 on 63% True Shooting. The stars have shown up on offense. The problem is the rest of the Bucks are off to a terrible offensive start (with the exception of A.J. Green, who plays 12 minutes per game). Dame is shooting 39% from deep on 10 3PAs per game. The rest of the team is shooting 34% on 27 3PAs per game.

The Bucks are last in the league in offensive rebounding after finishing No. 25 last year. Their turnover rate is middle of the pack and they are middle of the pack in free throw rate despite having two of the pre-eminent foul drawers in the league (no one else on the team regularly attacks the rim). If shots aren’t falling for anyone other than the two stars, the Bucks’ offense is cooked. Which is a real problem, because …