Preview: Bucks Poised to Top Last Season's Run to Conference Finals

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Photo Credit: Keith Allison

Bucks at Wizards 1/15/18

The 2018-2019 Milwaukee Bucks had their best season in almost two decades, winning a league-high 60 games in the regular season and nearly made their first finals appearance since 1974. It was a wild ride to say the least that ended with a sour taste in their mouth as they watched the Toronto Raptors lift their first championship in franchise history. After one of the craziest off-seasons the NBA has ever seen in terms of player movement, the Deer will look to rally around their MVP superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo once again and make an even deeper run to capture the coveted Larry O’Brien trophy.

Head coach Mike Budenholzer came in last summer and established a new system and culture that not only transformed Giannis into the most valuable player but vaulted the Bucks to the top of the Eastern Conference. Milwaukee adopted a “let it fly” approach and became one of the most prolific shooting teams in the league as they finished second in the NBA in three pointers made (13.5) and attempted (38.2) per game. Only to be outdone by the Houston Rockets, who they will battle Thursday night to begin their 2019-2020 season.

Winning in any sport isn’t easy, and instead of sulking in disappointment of coming up short last season, the Bucks got busy this offseason as they refined their roster in order to continue to get back to where they want to be.

Continuity: Milwaukee returns four of five starters including resigning first time All-Star Khris Middleton (5 years, $178 million) and floor spacing center Brook Lopez (4 years, $52 million) to new deals. Not to mention, they rewarded first team All-Defensive point guard Eric Bledsoe with a 4-year, $70 million deal midseason after he proved he could thrive in coach Bud’s new system.

The Deer also found a way to hold on to 33-year-old veteran point guard George Hill as he inked a 3-year, $29 million deal after they waived him to save themselves from an $18 million cap hit. Hill, who was acquired from the Cavs in December for the outrageous contracts of Matthew Dellavedova and John Henson, found a second wind last season playing under coach Bud and proved to be a major contributor down the stretch especially when Milwaukee dealt with the injury bug late in the season.

Also Returning:  Sterling Brown, Pat Connaughton, Donte DiVincenzo, Ersan Ilyasova, and DJ Wilson.

Biggest Loss: Perhaps the most underrated move of the offseason that could ultimately be a cause for concern until further notice is the loss of 2017 rookie of the year, Malcolm Brogdon, who became the league’s eighth player to finish a season in the 50-40-90 club and the first since Steph Curry in 2015-2016. Brogdon was a workhorse that did everything asked of him while playing both guard spots and is also an elite defender that made him arguably the most stable guard in the Bucks rotation the last couple of seasons. High character guys like Brogdon don’t grow on trees and it earned him a 4-year, $85 million dollar offer from the Indiana Pacers as a restricted free agent. After spending big money on Middleton and Brook Lopez, Bucks GM Jon Horst along with ownership did not think it was worth it to go into the luxury tax to retain the president’s services. However, Milwaukee was able to get a first-round and two future second-round picks in return for the 26-year-old dual-threat guard.

Other departures: Tim Frazier (free agency-Detroit), Pau Gasol (free agency-Portland), Nikola Mirotic (FC Barcelona-Liga ACB and the Euro League), Tony Snell (trade-Detroit Pistons), and Bonzie Colson (Darussafaka-Turkish League).

Who’s New: One of the biggest question marks during the summer for the Bucks was how they were going to fill the void of Brogdon. With a selection of proven vets on the market, Milwaukee first inked Wisconsin native Wes Matthews to a 2-year, $5.26 million deal with only the first year guaranteed. Despite going undrafted back in 2009, the Marquette alum has established himself as a premier “Three and D” wing player in the NBA over the years and brings a career scoring average of 13.7 points per game along with a solid outside shooting stroke of 38.2% for his career.

They also brought in a former All-Star under coach Budenholzer in sharpshooter Kyle Korver to a one-year, veteran minimum deal that could prove to be valuable in more ways than one. Yes, the 38-year-old Korver brings a stellar resume that includes a career 42.9% three-point percentage, but he has already made his presence felt as a mentor to Giannis as he hopes to continue to improve his outside shot.

Not only have the Bucks established a brotherhood culture in Milwaukee but they made that even more literal with the additions of Giannis’ older brother, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, to a two-year deal along with a two-year deal for Brook Lopez’s twin brother, Robin, as the two reunite for the first time since playing alongside each other at Stanford.

While it may look like a ploy to keep Giannis happy and ultimately resign with the Bucks long-term, Thanasis is no slouch as he is coming off back-to-back seasons in which he won the Greek League championship while also being named the leagues most valuable player for both respective years. Thanasis doesn’t boast the size of his younger brother standing at just 6’7’’, but his athleticism isn’t far behind. He will bring a lot of hustle and energy to the Bucks bench that could prove to be extremely valuable during a long, grinding season.

Meanwhile, Robin gives the Bucks a solid presence off the bench at the center position as viable defender and rebounder. Prior to signing with the Bucks, Robin wasn’t nearly the three-point shooting threat his brother Brook has become the last couple years but that could change under coach Bud this season. He’s just 11-51 for his career shooting threes with 45 of those attempts coming in the last two seasons with the Bulls. During the preseason, however, he seemed more trigger-happy after getting more comfortable during the offseason. Expect the 12-year veteran to get his shots up to help spread the floor even more for Giannis and the Bucks.

Other Additions: Dragan Bender (free agency, from Suns), Frank Mason (two-way, from Kings), Cameron Reynolds (two-way, from Timberwolves)

Keep an eye out for 6’10’’ forward Dragan Bender, a former fourth overall pick who is still just 21-years-old and yet to really scratch the surface. His time in Phoenix was weird to say the least but there is still some potential there and he could ultimately find a way to fit into Milwaukee’s rotation this season with his ability to stretch and run the floor.

Unfinished Business

The Bucks were hungry last season and took a lot of people by surprise by getting off to a hot start that ultimately led to finishing with the best record in the NBA. The fact that they couldn’t capitalize on making it to the finals just made them even hungrier. They haven’t forgotten what that felt like to come up short, and they now know what they need to do to take that next step.

That said, there is an obvious elephant in the room with a looming contract situation for Giannis, as he is eligible to sign a five-year super-max extension next summer that could make him the highest-paid player in the league. While he has pledged his love and admiration for staying in Milwaukee, it’s no secret that feelings can change and a lot of that hangs on the success of this Bucks team this season. The organization has seemingly done an impressive job over the last couple of years to build a solid roster that can compete for championships, and coach Bud more than surpassed expectations over the course of his first season in the Cream City.

There is no doubt that this team is capable of performing at the level that they did last season to once again earn the top seed in Eastern Conference. With Kawhi Leonard heading out west to the Los Angeles Clippers and Kevin Durant’s chances of playing with the Brooklyn Nets this season very slim while he recovers from a torn Achilles; the biggest threat to Milwaukee advancing to the finals should be the Philadelphia 76ers, who like the Bucks, have a lot of continuity in their roster despite losing Jimmy Butler. They added big man Al Horford to their front line to pair with Joel Embiid and it looks like the young phenom, Ben Simmons, might have added another weapon to his game as he is beginning to show signs that he’s willing to start shooting the ball from the outside.

The rest of the East is filled with solid, not great, but respectable teams that can compete such as the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Nets, Indiana Pacers, and the defending champion Raptors. Barring a major injury or letdown, none of those aforementioned teams should present major danger to the Bucks chances of making it out of the East. Milwaukee and Philadelphia have the most solid rosters up and down, which should make for a compelling rivalry this season.

X-Factor(s): A couple of things come to mind when you think x-factor with health being first and foremost. Staying healthy and surviving a grueling 82-game season with little to no injuries is going to be key for this team as they prepare for a deep playoff run. Injuries are going to happen. That’s just the nature of the game but the challenge will be how they can manage them and stay focused on what they are trying to accomplish.

Another x-factor to watch out for is the consistency of their stars. We all know what Giannis is capable of and what he brings every night as he goes for back-to-back MVP trophies. But it’s about the other guys including Eric Bledsoe, Khris Middleton, and Brook Lopez. They can’t afford any of those guys to take a step back this season. Just because they all got paid doesn’t mean they can’t stay hungry. Now’s the time to show why they earned those lucrative deals and prove they are worth that money.

The same goes for the bench and keeping each other accountable for their respective roles. Whether it’s the new guys like Matthews, Korver, and Robin Lopez; or the ones that have been here like Hill, Ilyasova, DiVincenzo, Brown, and Wilson; everyone must understand what they bring to the table and contribute when their number is called upon.

Bottom Line

As much fun as last year was, watching this team progress into one of the top teams in the league, now is the time to go out and prove that 60 wins was no fluke. There are no excuses for coming up short this season. They have an MVP, multiple All-Stars, an elite head coach, and returned most of their team while plugging in pieces that should help get them over the hump. They performed ahead of schedule last year and that experience should ultimately get them to overcome their shortcomings in the conference finals. There is no doubt that the Deer should finish with the best record in the Eastern Conference while throwing an even bigger party in June to celebrate something more than just an MVP trophy in downtown Milwaukee.

Prediction:  59-23 record—first in Eastern Conference along with franchise’s first finals birth since 1974