Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Kevin Garnett has harsh criticism of Milwaukee Bucks

If there’s anyone qualified to speak on Doc Rivers’ coaching tenure, it’s Kevin Garnett. His credentials as one of the top 10 power forwards in history make the now podcast star one of the more insightful and entertaining commentators on NBA matters. He is arguably the main reason Rivers is a champion, and the two of them are tight.  

Recently, Garnett called the 2025-26 Milwaukee Bucks quitters and soft, in so many words, saying “I know what fight looks like. It didn’t look like that on a nightly basis.”

Forget how the messenger is partial. He’s not wrong and it is officially gut check time for whoever is left in Milwaukee past this summer. One can understand, tuning out Rivers, who doesn’t have any credibility as a big-time coach, but that doesn’t excuse the low efforts on defense. The team was 26th in defensive rating in 2025-26.

Pinning a specific problem, the Bucks were one of the three worst teams guarding the 3-point line, allowing 21.9 wide-open attempts per night. Opponents made 39.2 percent of those shots, and keep in mind that a wide-open look is six feet or more of space.

In 2025-26, the average 3-point attempts taken were 37 per game out of 89.1 shots. That’s 41.5 percent. There’s no way around the reality that any team that doesn’t care about guarding the 3-point line is not serious about winning. 

Still, the Bucks can make a significant improvement quickly by saving 10 points nightly. It would require strong thinkers as well as effort to limit drop coverage to non-outside threats, as well as staying closer to the corners and not biting on pump fakes, which often lead to three free throws. 

Of course, Giannis Antetokounmpo, the team’s best help defender, playing in just 36 games and the drama he has created with wanting to leave, is a significant reason why the Bucks were no good. There’s no excuses going forward because a new chapter will start for the Bucks when Antetokounmpo gets his wish, and they must eradicate the bad basketball culture while so many youngsters are around. 

Players getting comfortable, as Garnett said they were, is a concerning indictment; it means that they are just there for the check and cool with playing low-stakes hoops. Having a spot in the NBA is not like a regular job, so anyone doing the minimum is not worth the fans’ time, and must be traded.