The Milwaukee Bucks are 6-11 with the worst defense in the NBA, so coach Jason Kidd is experimenting with lineups. On Sunday against the Charlotte Hornets, he started O.J. Mayo and Jerryd Bayless in place of Michael Carter-Williams and Jabari Parker. Carter-Williams, who is having a particularly rough stretch -- he has shot 2-for-13 from the field with eight assists and 11 turnovers in the last three games, all losses -- did not complain about it, via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Charles F. Gardner:
"The past couple games my play has been down," Carter-Williams said. "If I'm a coach, I wouldn't start me, either. Whatever minutes I get, I'm going to come in and try to help the team, cheer from the bench and try to cheer my teammates on.
"I know it's hard right now. I think things will get better."
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"I wasn't surprised," Carter-Williams said. "In practice, I wasn't in the starting five. I thought I would play more minutes. At the end of the day, coach is coach. He's just trying to do what's best for the team."
Carter-Williams played only 16 minutes in Milwaukee's 87-82 loss to Charlotte, but the team was outscored by 15 points in that time. On the season, he is shooting 13-for-43 (30 percent) from outside the paint, per NBA.com.
It's unfair to pin the Bucks' struggles on Carter-Williams -- the team's identity has completely shifted this season with the addition of Greg Monroe, the return of Jabari Parker and the loss of veterans Jared Dudley, Zaza Pachulia and Ersan Ilyasova. The team hasn't been the same, though, since it acquired Carter-Williams and waved goodbye to Brandon Knight at last season's trade deadline.
Knight was effective in the pick-and-roll and could space the floor because of his shooting ability. Kidd has raved about Carter-Williams' ability as a passer and potential as a leader, but his shot is a major problem, especially with Ilyasova gone and Monroe shooting 26-for-81 (32 percent) from outside the restricted area. The team has been better defensively with Carter-Williams on the bench than on the floor, too. Outside of long-term development, it's hard to find an argument for keeping Carter-Williams in the starting lineup right now.
