The struggling Milwaukee Bucks have a serious injury to play through as their head coach and leader Jason Kidd will be out for sometime. According to Yahoo! Sports, Kidd will be out indefinitely due to a hip surgery procedure.
The Bucks were just getting their rhythm back as they dealt with the return of injured start Jabari Parker. As reported by the website bleacherreport.com, the Bucks' star forward and #2 pick in the 2014 NBA draft tore his ACL last December after playing only 25 games in 2014.
Bucks GM John Hammond and coach Jason Kidd were certainly taking caution when managing Parker's on-court action. Bucks Coach Jason Kidd said, "We're not going to rush him back. This is a bigger picture."
Hammond then added, "If we think he can play 30 minutes, we'll probably play him 15. Wherever he might be, we're always going to be cautious with him."
In the 25 games he played last season, Parker averaged 12.3 points and 5.5 rebounds and 29.5 minutes per game.
Good news for the team according to Frank Madden of brew hoop was Parker's improved physique as he reportedly gained 15 pounds of muscle and is now listed at 255 pounds. Last year, when he entered training camp, he was weighed at 240 pounds.
With Kidd sidelined, experts believe that the Bucks will go down the standings as the team is already struggling with the new roster and an inefficient defense. The Bucks finished second last year in defensive efficiency, behind only the eventual NBA champions Golden State Warriors, allowing 99.3 points per 100 possessions.
This marked improvement however has since declined as the team has gone down to last in defensive efficiency in the NBA. As per brewhoop.com, the bucks defense has suffered and has allowed "Uncontained penetration, wide open threes and early fouls."
With their head coach out, analysts say the Bucks could be out of the Playoffs this year.
