The Milwaukee Bucks were one of the teams to watch heading into the 2025-26 season, with all the changes and storylines around them generated from the 2025 offseason. With Damian Lillard no longer on the team and Giannis Antetokounmpo's name frequently being mentioned in trade conversations, the entire league would be closely monitoring the two-time MVP's situation.

Through 40 games this season, the Bucks are 17-23, still sitting outside the Top 10 seeds in the Eastern Conference, which would guarantee them a shot at a postseason appearance in 2026. While their offense has been one of the worst scoring units in the league, breakout guard Ryan Rollins believes it's a different area that's holding them back.

Following the team's 139-106 loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves, who were without Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert, Most Improved Player candidate Ryan Rollins was asked what it'll take for the team to get back ton where they want to be.

"Just having more of an identity on defense, of knowing what we have to do, which is be physical and cause turnovers, just be the more physical team," Rollins said. "I think offense will roll for us because we have very talented offensive players. So, we just go to lock in on defense more I think."

Looking at the analytics, the Bucks rank 26th in the league in points per game and 15th in points allowed. In terms of ratings, they rank 23rd in offensive rating and 19th in defensive rating.

As for the contest against Minnesota, it didn't help the Bucks that they were without their defensive anchor in Myles Turner due to illness. Even though he makes a big difference on the defensive end, he wasn't the only reason why the team let up 139 points to a shorthanded Minnesota team.

One of the biggest problems for the Bucks is that they allow their opponents to get more shots on average, reflected by the fact that they are constantly losing the rebounding and turnover battle. Even though Rollins and Kevin Porter Jr. do a good job at tallying up steals, they rank in the bottom third of the league in both steals and blocks per game.

When it comes to finding a way to fix these issues, it might be time for Doc Rivers to experiment with some different lineups. The starting five of Porter Jr., Rollins, AJ Green, Giannis, and Turner makes sense on paper, but hasn't delivered results. While he doesn't provide much offensively, the Bucks could experiment with Andre Jackson Jr. again to provide more help defensively.

However, the best case is probably to explore the trade market and avoid making a deal for a big star like Ja Morant, and shift their focus to acquiring players who can help address the defensive concerns that Rollins is voicing. If they are willing to part ways with Bobby Portis and Kyle Kuzma, they could find some quality pieces for the right price.