Milwaukee Bucks Must Keep Tyrese Haliburton Out Of The Paint

For the past two seasons, Tyrese Haliburton has been a walking migraine for the Milwaukee Bucks—relentlessly picking apart their defense and making life miserable for whoever draws the short straw of guarding him.

The Indiana Pacers’ floor general has torched Milwaukee repeatedly, leading his team to key victories while letting everyone know about it, one celebration at a time.

His flair, confidence, and showmanship are all part of the package. He’s the kind of player you’d fight to have on your roster but can’t stand when he’s lighting yours up. He’s basketball’s version of a charming villain—easy to admire from afar, infuriating up close.

There’s no questioning Haliburton’s brilliance. He’s on the short list of elite passers in the NBA, a wizard with the ball who sees angles before they even open up. He doesn’t just run Indiana’s offense—he orchestrates it. As Haliburton goes, so do the Pacers.

And against Milwaukee, he’s been driving that bus straight through the Bucks’ defense.

He’s tallied 41 assists across the regular-season series—his second-highest total against any opponent this season—and most of that damage came during their two matchups in March. He dropped 10 dimes in a Pacers win on March 11, then 15 more in a Bucks victory on March 15.

In both games, Taurean Prince was the primary defender assigned to Haliburton. The results weren’t pretty.

Doc Rivers had Prince picking Haliburton up just a few feet inside the halfcourt line, hoping to disrupt the Pacers’ tempo and rhythm. But Prince, while tough and savvy, lacks the lateral quickness to keep Haliburton from turning the corner.

Once the pick-and-roll action kicked in—usually with Pascal Siakam or Myles Turner screening—it created a domino effect. The Bucks either botched the switch entirely or got stuck with Haliburton attacking Brook Lopez in space or Siakam bullying Prince in the post.

The result was Haliburton waltzing into the paint at will.

And when he gets there, it’s chaos.

Milwaukee’s defensive structure tends to collapse like a house of cards. Players start ball-watching, abandon their assignments, and scramble to stop the drive—often too late. That allowed Indian’s shooters open gym looks on a consistent basis.

If Milwaukee wants to rewrite the script in this first-round series, it starts with keeping Haliburton out of the paint.

That may require Rivers to rethink his defensive matchups. Perhaps Ryan Rollins, A.J. Green, or Gary Trent Jr. can step into that role. None is a lockdown defender, but each offers a bit more foot speed to stay attached on the perimeter.

Still, the Bucks are short on true perimeter stoppers. They’re going to have to defend Haliburton by committee—and with creativity.

Interestingly, Milwaukee may need to consider a bend but don’t break strategy. Haliburton is a pass-first guard through and through. He averaged just 13.8 shot attempts per game this season—59th in the league. Despite his efficiency, he’s not a volume scorer, and he’s reluctant to attack the rim consistently.

Over half of his shots came from beyond the arc. Just 10 percent came within three feet of the hoop. That suggests the Bucks might benefit from daring him to shoot more often, especially in traffic.

Even when Haliburton does get to the rim, the Bucks can live with a contested floater over the outstretched arms of Antetokounmpo or Lopez. It’s the wide-open corner threes they absolutely cannot afford to give up.

That’s the real danger of Haliburton’s paint penetration—it unlocks everything else. Once the defense collapses, he sprays the ball around like a firehose, hitting teammates in stride for easy buckets. Cut off his access to the lane, and you shut off the water at the source.

Keep him in front. Make him a scorer, not a creator. Force him into contested twos. Grind him down possession by possession.

That’s the blueprint.

The Bucks haven’t advanced past the first round since 2022. If they want to change that, it starts with solving the Haliburton riddle. Stop him from living in the paint, and the rest of Indiana’s offense starts to crack.