After suffering a defeat to the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, the Milwaukee Bucks are in the midst of a three-day break, a much-needed one at best. Now halfway through the season, the Bucks sit at 17-24, entering Sunday's NBA slate 1.5 games back of the Atlanta Hawks for the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference.

All the spotlight remains on Giannis Antetokounmpo, whether they win or lose. The star forward has appeared in 27 games this season, averaging 28.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists on 64.7% shooting from the field. However, it's clear from his postgame interviews that he is frustrated, hoping this team can turn it around soon.

Serving in a coaching role alongside his former head coach, Doc Rivers, former All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo has been around the Bucks this season as he looks to grow in the coaching world.

Recently, Rondo appeared on former teammate Kevin Garnett's podcast and talked about why Giannis might be frustrated with how things are going in Milwaukee.

“To me we just haven’t bought into everybody being a star in their role consistently enough. I think that’s the frustration part. Obviously, big fella missed a lot of games and it’s a big thing now how were tryna be good without Giannis on the court…," Rondo said.

While the Bucks have a losing record, it's not as if this team lacks the talent to make the playoffs. Starting with Giannis' frontcourt partner, Myles Turner has been one of the most consistent starting centers in the NBA for over a decade, bringing value as a floor spacer and rim defender.

The dynamic that still needs to be figured out is the two-guard combination of Ryan Rollins and Kevin Porter Jr, as both guards are at their best with the ball in their hands. Factor in Giannis wanting the ball too, this gap of time between games could be the time Rivers and his coaching staff need to make adjustments to rotations.

"We may go through a few possessions where we don’t take care of the ball or not getting a stop and that’s where the gap continues to grow. It’s magnified now because of trade deadline and rumors. Even though it’s a small market it’s still Giannis team. We going through it but it’s the NBA grind. Every season you can’t win a championship," he added.

It might even be the best case for the Bucks to continue losing, given they'll be guaranteed a lottery selection if both they and the New Orleans Pelicans finish outside of the playoffs this season. However, that probably isn't what best fits Giannis' timeline, meaning trade rumors could intensify if that becomes reality.

However, as players like Bobby Portis have said in recent postgame interviews, there's still half the season left, and plenty can change. The Los Angeles Clippers went from potentially handing the Oklahoma City Thunder a Top 5 pick to being back in the playoff race, so why can't the Bucks do something similar?