Tyler Herro didn’t sound like a player ready to make peace with what’s happening in Milwaukee.
After the Bucks dropped their eighth straight game and fell to 1-11, Herro made it plain that the losing can’t become normal. He said he’s dealing with something he’s never had to live through in his basketball career.
“This is the most I’ve ever lost in my life. We can’t just be smiling and thinking that’s okay.
The object is to win. That’s why we get paid, it’s to win games.”
That’s a blunt message, and it lands even harder with the Bucks sitting last in the East and tied with the Jazz for the worst record in the league.
Herro was brought to Milwaukee in the blockbuster Giannis Antetokounmpo trade this summer, and this has been a major shift for him. Before arriving with the Bucks, he spent his entire career with the Miami Heat, a team that gave him plenty of winning and plenty of deep playoff runs. Now he’s on a roster that has managed just one win in its first 12 games.
He didn’t single anyone out, but the frustration is obvious. Herro said he can’t just sit there and smile while the losses pile up, and that sounds like a player who is uneasy with where the team’s mindset is headed.
There’s a difference between losing while still fighting and slipping into comfort with defeat. Herro’s comments suggest he sees that line clearly, and he doesn’t want Milwaukee crossing it.
The Bucks did get a group of young players in the deal - Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel’el Ware and Kasparas Jakucionis - and the plan was to begin building something new. That kind of reset doesn’t happen overnight, especially after moving on from a franchise player like Antetokounmpo.
Still, 1-11 is a rough place to be before the calendar even gets to the middle of November. An eight-game skid is one thing. Starting the season this way is another.
Herro is now one of the more recognizable names on the roster, and that brings responsibility with it. Milwaukee needs someone to set the tone, especially with so many young players trying to find their footing.
Herro’s words made it clear he isn’t ready to accept losing as the new standard. The bigger question is whether the rest of the locker room feels the same way.
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