Milwaukee Must Blow-Up Starting Five To Turn Playoff Series Around

The Milwaukee Bucks have fallen behind early in each of the first two games of their first-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers. If Doc Rivers wants to avoid a third-straight stumble out of the gate, it’s time to blow up his starting lineup.

Rivers bet on size over speed, trotting out a jumbo frontcourt of Taurean Prince, Kyle Kuzma, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Brook Lopez. But that group has looked like it’s moving in slow motion compared to Indiana’s high-octane attack.

In Game 1, that big four started alongside Ryan Rollins and was outscored by 15 points in just 17 minutes. In Game 2, Rivers swapped Rollins for Damian Lillard—but the result was more of the same. The Bucks were outscored by nine in 16 minutes and lost the game by eight.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

Minor adjustments won’t cut it. The Bucks need a complete reset to survive this first-round gauntlet against Indiana.

The best path forward is to keep Lillard and Antetokounmpo as their foundation and rebuild the rest around them with shooting, speed, and switchability: Gary Trent Jr., AJ Green, and Bobby Portis.

Defensively, here’s how the new starting five could match up:

• Lillard on Aaron Nesmith
• Trent Jr. on Tyrese Haliburton
• Green on Andrew Nembhard
• Antetokounmpo on Pascal Siakam
• Portis on Myles Turner

This alignment allows Milwaukee to switch across the board while still having the flexibility to scram Lillard out of mismatches. It also surrounds their stars with reliable floor-spacers who can punish Indiana when they collapse on drives or overhelp on pick-and-rolls.

That’s especially important considering how comfortable Haliburton looked freelancing off the ball in Game 2. He completely ignored Prince for long stretches, clogging up the paint and disrupting Milwaukee’s rhythm. That won’t be so easy if he’s forced to respect Trent Jr.’s shot.

Offensively, the formula is simple: put the ball in the hands of your best two players, space the floor with shooters, and let them go to work. Spam the Lillard-Giannis pick-and-roll, and let the rest of the lineup capitalize on the attention they draw.

It’s not just about who starts—it’s about who plays. Rivers should ride this new five heavily. A realistic Game 3 minute breakdown could look like this:

• Lillard: 40 minutes
• Trent Jr.: 30–35
• Green: 30–35
• Antetokounmpo: 40
• Portis: 30–35

The bench rotation also needs a trim. It’s time for Prince to take a permanent seat in this series. He’s had a solid season, but this is a matchup built for speed, not length.

Kuzma should also see reduced minutes. While he had some bright spots attacking the rim, his defensive awareness continues to waver at the worst moments.

Kevin Porter Jr. and Rollins can soak up some of those backup guard minutes depending on game flow. Both are streaky scorers who might catch fire—or flame out quickly—but they offer more shot creation and athleticism than Milwaukee’s bigger wings.

As for Lopez, his impact has been minimal. He struggles in this matchup and should be used more selectively—ideally when T.J. McConnell or Jarace Walker enter the game and the Bucks can lean into zone or drop coverage. His minutes should be strategically capped.

Here’s what their bench minutes should look like:

• Porter Jr.: 8–15 minutes
• Rollins: 8–15
• Kuzma: 8–15
• Lopez: 12–18

Yes, it’s a dramatic overhaul—but desperate times call for desperate measures. The time for subtle adjustments is over. Milwaukee doesn’t need tweaks. They need triage.

Game 3 is do-or-die territory. If the Bucks want to claw back into this series and salvage their season, they’ll need to throw out the old script and start from scratch. There’s still time to punch back—but only if Rivers is willing to let go of the comfort zone and press the big red button.