Two things can be true: the Milwaukee Bucks are 1-7, but they are not as bad as their record would suggest. 

The Bucks suffered their fourth straight defeat at the hands of the Boston Celtics, 109-102, on Wednesday. However, there were far more positives to be drawn from the experience than just another tick in the loss column. 

"We cannot overlook the fact that we were down 22 points to the Celtics and came back and took the lead. I'm way more focused on that," first-year head coach Taylor Jenkins said afterward. 

The Bucks are taking steps in the right direction. Their inexperienced roster is just not ready to win yet, despite being led by a seasoned player, eight-year veteran Tyler Herro. 

Herro is averaging 22.3 points per game in his first campaign back in his home state of Wisconsin, and he posted 25 against the Celtics, shooting 8-for-17 from the field (4-for-10 3PT). 

The rest of the Bucks, however, must catch up — particularly in late-game situations. Milwaukee has been fairly competitive against a difficult season-opening schedule but has been lacking cool heads down the stretch. 

The Bucks erased a 20+ point halftime deficit and roared back to take a one-point lead over the Celtics with 6:50 remaining in the fourth quarter, behind a layup and a split pair of free throws from rookie Nate Ament. 

The two teams traded buckets going into crunch time before a 7-0 Celtics run gave Boston enough separation to seal the win. They led 104-97 with 1:49 left to play. 

Despite the Celtics playing without Jayson Tatum, the Bucks could almost smell what would have been an enormous victory. But Jenkins remains encouraged nonetheless. 

"We put ourselves in a position to win the game," he said. "The resilience, the fight that our guys had in the second half, the defensive intensity, the ball movement... The energy, the life, was there. The guys responded. 

"A lot of growth, a lot of progress here. We'll figure out how to close out a game." 

If nothing else, the Bucks will be a fun watch for the rest of the season as they try to establish a new identity under Jenkins. 

There are a bunch of things the franchise needs to figure out this year — the main one being who to build around moving forward. For that reason, Jenkins has wasted no time getting his rookies involved. 

No. 10 pick of this year's Draft, guard Brayden Burries, is already starting games. No. 13 pick Ament is catching up after missing the first few games due to injury, and the 6-foot-10 forward showed promising flashes against a good Boston frontcourt. 

Ament came up big in the Bucks' late resurgence, finishing with 9 points — including two three-pointers — in 18 minutes off the bench. Burries added 9 points, five rebounds, and three assists — displacing Ryan Rollins from the starting lineup. 

Six of the Bucks' first eight opponents are in playoff contention. Their schedule isn't getting any easier quickly either. They will host Toronto, Boston, and the Lakers in three of their next four games. Sandwiched in between is a trip to New York to face the defending champion Knicks. 

It's fair to say that more losses are coming. However, the Bucks are in a unique position where they can afford them right now and still be better off for them once things start clicking.