Horst is not the GM of the future
After watching a month of these playoffs and seeing the rise of the new crop of contenders over the past couple years (Thunder, Spurs, Wolves, Pistons), I think it’s clear that Horst has done a terrible job predicting where the league is going and what type of roster is needed to stay competitive.
To me he is still trying to build a team that would compete in 2021, focusing on spreading the floor and putting up a high volume of threes at the overall expense of what actually made the Bucks a perennial contender, which was our defense (and Giannis, obviously).
Meanwhile, all the ascendant teams in the NBA feature top defenses, and none of the teams mentioned above were in the top ten in three point attempts this season. The worst part about it is the Bucks were positioned to stay competitive if they just kept Jrue and developed some talent (not here to re litigate the Dame trade, but it’s the clearest example of Horst prioritizing shooting and offense over defense).
I’m also not here to bury Horst, he made some great moves early in his tenure that brought a championship to Milwaukee and we will always be thankful for that. Ha has earned his place in Bucks history. And yes, if Middleton stays healthy this is probably all a different story.
However, I don’t get the feeling Horst has a strong pulse on the direction of the league or knows how to build a contender from scratch. And with it looking likely that we will be entering a rebuild, the Bucks need a GM with the vision to see what a championship roster will be in 5 years, not what worked 5 years ago.