4 Adjustments Scott Skiles Must Make for the Milwaukee Bucks in 2011-12

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Last season must have been tough for Scott Skiles.

Having lead his team the previous year to the playoffs, the entire organization and city had high hopes for the Bucks. When they failed to make the playoffs, many people pointed the finger at Skiles.  

Going into this season, there are four adjustments Coach Skiles can make to ensure his team is more successful. 

4. Play the Young Guys

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Players coming into this league are typically young, undisciplined and raw—all things Scott Skiles seems to loath.  

But they are not without talent. How a young player looks in practice and the weight room will only give you so much of an idea of what they can do on the court.  At some point, you need to get a these young guys in the game and see what they really have.  

There will be some mental mistakes and goofs with young players, but the only way for them to improve is to see consistent time on the floor.  

Skiles never gave Larry Sanders consistent minutes last season. One game Sanders might play 30 minutes and then he would not play for the next three games. We saw flashes of brilliance from Sanders, but without giving him a real chance to make a consistent impact, we have no idea what we really have in him.  

For the upcoming season, Skiles needs to give our young players a chance to grow.

3. Define Player Roles

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The Bucks looked confused on numerous occasions last season. In crucial times, the Bucks never had a go-to play or player. On any given night, any one of the Bucks could have been called on in crucial situations and not everyone on the team is made for that.

A team is made up of players who play their role in making the team successful. Skiles never asserted any roles on players. He had a sort of mix-and-match approach to each game that never seemed successful.  

Going into the new season, Skiles needs to let each player know what their role in the offense will be so they may work to improve on what is expected of them.

2. Give Some Leash

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Imagine if every day when you went to work you knew if you made a mistake, you would be sent home for an indeterminate amount of time. That is what it must have been like to be a Buck last season.

Scott Skiles has a dog house and he is not afraid to use it.  

A young team is going to go through ups and downs. Skiles needs to let his team work through them. Far too often he was quick to pull a player off the court when he was struggling.  

Throughout the 2010-11 season, Skiles used nearly two dozen different starting lineups and far more rotations.  Injuries played a factor in this, but Skiles needs to calm down and stick with a rotation to develop continuity on the court.

1. Blow Up the Offense

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Whatever offense Coach Skiles drew up last year was ineffective.

Crumple it up and throw it in the garbage.  

The Bucks were the worst offensive team in the NBA last year. No matter how good your defense is on a given night, you will need to score points to win a game. Granted, very rarely could a Buck hit a jump shot with any consistency, but Skiles was not drawing up plays to free players up around the hoop.  

Skiles needs to realize that Andrew Bogut will have an advantage against almost any team, and the offense needs to flow through him.

Conclusion

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Scott Skiles is a good coach. He is not perfect, but his tough defensive mind is what sets him apart from many other coaches in the NBA.

If he is able to make the adjustments we discussed going into next season, the Bucks will see much greater success.   

Are there any other adjustments you think Coach Skiles needs to make?

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