A bad start to the season just got worse. The story of Milwaukee, a title contender with a long way to go.
The Milwaukee Bucks are 5-4 in their first nine games and sit in eighth place in the East as of Thursday.
After acquiring Damian Lillard to start the season, the Bucks emerged as a strong contender, but they’ve been underwhelming. The team’s defense hasn’t been what it used to be, and the Damian Lillard-Yannis Adetokunbo one-two punch hasn’t been as potent as expected.레모나토토 주소
Injuries have also been a problem, with Lillard missing the last two games with a calf injury.
Then came the bad news on Thursday. Veteran forward Jay Crowder was diagnosed with an eight-week injury.
Milwaukee’s J.J. Crowder will be out for eight weeks with a torn left adductor and abdominal muscle, The Athletic’s Shams Karania reported Thursday. Crowder is scheduled to have surgery on the 15th.
This is obviously a big blow for Milwaukee, which has a lot on the line. Crowder has started all nine games at the sixth man this season and is a key veteran resource for the team, playing 26.7 minutes per game. That’s a lot of minutes on the wing lineup.
With Khris Middleton on early-season minutes management, Crowder’s departure is a clear blow to Milwaukee’s depth. The likes of Malik Beasley, Pat Connaughton, and Massaun Butchamp will have to step up.
Milwaukee, whose offensive balance has been severely shaken by early-season defensive breakdowns, will have to contend without veteran forward Crowder for the foreseeable future.
Mired in a two-game losing streak, Milwaukee will attempt to snap the losing streak when they host Chicago on Thursday.