The Celtics and Bucks started the season in completely different directions. Boston started 4-0 and won its first four games, while Milwaukee started 1-3 and lost its last three games.

During their match on Monday night, the Bucks gave the Celtics a good fight until the third quarter, but that doesn’t change the fact that the latter have lived up to expectations so far, while the former should be better than they started. The funny thing is that the two faced the same problem at the beginning of their duel.

Both teams are missing key ingredients that make them a force to be reckoned with in the Eastern Conference: the Celtics are missing Kristaps Porzingis and the Bucks are missing Khris Middleton.

There is no doubt that both teams would benefit from having both of them back in the fold, but knowing how they have coped without them proves how different they are. The Celtics have continued to hum without Porzingis, while the Bucks haven’t coped well without Middleton.

Middleton’s return should help the Bucks, but will he fill all the holes in their rotation? Furthermore, given his age (33) and injury record, can he still play at the same level he did? They have even more questions than the ones surrounding Middleton.

The Bucks’ problem, aside from a shockingly poor start to the season so far, is that they have done nothing to address questions that arose regarding their roster from last season.

The worst thing the Bucks went through last year was the season-ending injury to Giannis. Not only because it was a death blow to their season, but also because Antetokounmpo’s injury gave the Bucks an excuse for failure, while their season was already shaping up to be a failure before his injury.

They never quite figured out how to get Giannis to work alongside Damian Lillard, and they still have a great defense despite having excellent personnel in that department. They also seem older as a team overall, which makes sense when you know who plays for them. Many want to blame Doc Rivers, but it seems too easy to blame everything on him.

When Middleton returns, he will be playing for a squad that, even with him, still has so many unanswered questions. Now compare that to the Celtics.

Would they be better off if Porzingis played now? Of course they would, but they have shown they can withstand his absence. The Celtics are so strong that they don’t have to worry about him missing games next month.

Porzingis will improve them, but when he returns, he won’t be joining a roster nearly mired in uncertainty. Instead, his return will be a case of the rich getting richer. There are no questions about the Celtics like there are about the Bucks right now.

That doesn’t mean the Bucks can’t bounce back, but there’s no guarantee they can. There’s no guarantee that the Celtics will play at their elite pace, but they’ve proven they can since last season, much like the Bucks have proven they can’t since last season.