The first five or so games of an NBA season can only give you so much quantitative data about how the next 77 or so will go—e.g. the Warriors might not be this great without Steph Curry because they have mostly played bad or injured teams; the Nets are not going to remain this competent, as Dennis Schröder will at some point miss a shot—but they are useful as qualitative exercises. Shots will go in or not go in at aberrant rates in the short term, which doesn't tell you much, but the processes by which teams generate good shots and prevent their opponents from doing so tell you plenty. Some qualities, then, that the Milwaukee Bucks have shown through five games: unconnected, slow, stinky, creatively adrift, thin, and generally miserable. The Bucks are 1-5, winners in Philadelphia on the second night of the season and then losers of five straight, with double-digit losses to the Bulls and Nets in there. They lost a heartbreaker to the Cavs on Saturday as Donovan Mitchell nailed a tough game-winner. The vibes are not great: Doc Rivers is all but openly wailing on the sidelines; Giannis Antetokounmpo is sitting through garbage time in a daze; Khris Middleton, who had surgery on both ankles this summer, has not played yet this season; Darvin Ham is on the bench; and the guy he brought with him from L.A., Taurean Prince, is giving quotes like, "I just feel like defensively, our IQ has to go up." They are currently the biggest disappointment in the NBA, under circumstances that are not altogether that surprising.

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