Are the Bucks superstars being held accountable?

The Milwaukee Bucks have now lost four out of five, all against teams below .500. And in the last two games, both Dame and Giannis have posted largely unacceptable defensive performances. Before I start, though, I want to give them some leeway; both may still be ill. Is that sickness stopping them from executing on defence? Maybe. Who knows? But in both players’ cases, these issues have popped up in the past, before the Vegas flu.

Let’s look at Antetokounmpo’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers first. The problems seemed to stem mostly from his off-ball defence. I am not in the locker room, so I suppose it’s possible that he was instructed to help far into the lane. I can see the logic…