Milwaukee Bucks: Are the Bucks Suffering from an Identity Crisis?

The Milwaukee Bucks were like a teenage girl on a Friday night. 

They had a bunch of new clothes, but nothing seemed to look right.  No matter the style everything was awkward, ill-fitting, or improper.

Like a teenage girl, the Milwaukee Bucks had an identity crisis last season.

The Utah Jazz are a pick-and-roll team.  The Phoenix Suns are a run-and-gun team.  What are the Milwaukee Bucks?  

We received no clear answers during the 2010-2011 season.  

As I sat back and watched the Bucks last year, I could never predict what I was going to see on any given night.  The Bucks used numerous starting lineups and rarely had a regular rotation.  Injuries added to this problem, but without an identity the Milwaukee Bucks struggled.

The defense was tough and rather consistent.  But offensively the Bucks looked lost.  
A lot of the blame for this issue has to fall at the feet of head coach Scott Skiles.  He has an itchy trigger finger when it comes to benching players who were not playing up to his standards.  He was inconsistent in the time he gave to players such as Chris Douglas-Roberts.  Very few of the Bucks coming off the bench were given consistent time at any position. 

A basketball team without an identity is doomed.  Much like the real world, people thrive when they know what their job is and what is expected of them.  

How many of the Bucks knew exactly what their role on the team last year?  Who was the scorer, the rebounded, the setup man?  It seemed to change on a nightly basis. A perfect example of this is Brandon Jennings.  It was never clear how the Bucks intended to use him.

Is he a shoot-first guard who will take over games?  Or is he a pass-first guard who will set his teammates up for success?  

A young guard in this league needs to understand what is expected of him.  There were games last year when he take would jack up 25 shots.  There were other games where he would all but disappear. 

As we approach the new season, it is important that the Bucks grow out of this identity crisis.  Once again, they have some new clothes in the closet.  They just need to find an outfit that works.  And more importantly, stick with it.