The 2024-25 NBA season is right here! We’re breaking down the largest questions, best- and worst-case situations, and fantasy outlooks for all 30 groups. Get pleasure from!
MILWAUKEE BUCKS
2023-24 end
Offseason strikes
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Additions: Gary Trent Jr., Taurean Prince, Delon Wright, A.J. Johnson, Tyler Smith
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Subtractions: Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Jae Crowder, Danilo Gallinari, Thanasis Antetokounmpo
The Large Query: Does depth resolve Milwaukee’s woes?
Final season was a catastrophe. The Milwaukee Bucks employed first-time head coach Adrian Griffin, fired him a number of months later and in some way completed with a a lot worse document underneath his substitute, Doc Rivers.
It was not simply teaching that stored the 2021 NBA champions from profitable a playoff sequence for the second straight season. Damian Lillard didn’t arrive in Milwaukee till the daybreak of final season’s coaching camp. When he did, he was in “the worst form I’ve ever been,” coping with “the toughest transition of my life.” Because of this, he and Giannis Antetokounmpo spent the season in the hunt for a chemistry that by no means got here.
In the meantime, Lillard, Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton have been all getting into their mid-30s in varied phases of decline, and the Bucks had no depth to help them. Issues acquired worse when Antetokounmpo suffered a left calf pressure, maybe from carrying too nice a load. It was a recipe for catastrophe, they usually made it effectively.
The Bucks are pot dedicated to their 4 present and former All-Stars. The $152 million they owe to Antetokounmpo, Lillard, Middleton and Lopez left them with nothing however minimal offers to supply in free company. Bucks GM Jon Horst did effectively to spherical out the rotation, touchdown Gary Trent Jr., Taurean Prince and Delon Wright, every of whom can contribute playoff minutes. Trent is first in line for a beginning job.
Flip again the clock to 2021, then, proper? Not so quick. Lillard, MIddleton and Lopez should not getting any youthful. Middleton, 33, is the youngest of the trio, and he wanted offseason surgical procedure to each his ankles. He will probably be restricted in coaching camp, identical as final season, when he was rehabbing from knee surgical procedure.
As for the chemistry between Antetokounmpo and Lillard, that at the least needs to be higher … RIGHT?
Giannis Antetokounmpo stated him and Damian Lillard weren’t capable of get collectively this offseason, however they talked usually all through the summer season.
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) September 30, 2024
Oh.
Possibly a full coaching camp underneath Rivers will probably be sufficient for Antetokounmpo and Lillard to good their pick-and-roll partnership and construct chemistry with a revamped rotation, even when Middleton’s absence provides one other wrinkle. In spite of everything, Antetokounmpo is without doubt one of the three finest gamers within the NBA. He averaged a 30-12-7 on higher than 60% taking pictures from the sector final season. He can masks a variety of points on any roster.
What that has meant the previous two seasons is a first-round playoff exit, and that’s unacceptable. Overlook chemistry issues. Why ought to we imagine issues will get higher when an outdated staff has gotten older?
It can’t be overstated how a lot the Bucks anticipated final season from Jae Crowder, Patrick Beverley and Danilo Gallinari, none of whom is within the NBA any longer. It seems you can not simply accumulate a bunch of cast-offs and kind a playoff-caliber bench. This time, they focused match over flashy names. Trent, Prince and Wright shot a mixed 39.2% on 12.4 3-point makes an attempt per sport final season.
The incoming trio additionally improves the staff’s versatility on the defensive finish, the place Milwaukee rated under common final season. How a lot the fifth, sixth and seventh males can meaningfully enhance the defensive unit stays to be seen. They need to at the least assist the Bucks win regular-season video games.
However there is no such thing as a basketball world the place a trio of minimum-salaried additions by itself transforms a staff that didn’t win a playoff sequence into one that may win 4 rounds. They’ll contribute to a contender, however they can’t be its catalyst. Antetokounmpo, Lillard, Middleton and Lopez should seize these reins. Solely certainly one of them is squarely in his prime, and he has not been wholesome in two postseasons.
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Greatest-case situation
When Antetokounmpo is wholesome, he’s a monster, ferociously attacking the rim, and that’s paramount. Nothing works with out him. Lillard grows extra comfy along with his existence in Milwaukee and reverts to All-NBA kind. Trent, Prince and Wright inject power and stability into the roster, permitting Middleton to take his time to return. Lopez anchors them at an All-Defensive degree. And nonetheless we’re not sure if they’ll beat the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks or Philadelphia 76ers; however they’ve a shot at any of them.
If the whole lot falls aside
If Antetokounmpo can not get a deal with on the elevated accidents to his left leg, Milwaukee is toast. Allow us to set that apart for a second. The Bucks’ title chances are high in bother if Lillard’s All-NBA days are behind him, if Middleton’s All-Star days are behind him or if Lopez’s All-Defensive days are behind him. If a kind of issues is true, it is going to be tough to persuade anybody that this model of the Bucks can contend at any level sooner or later. And if that’s the case, does Antetokounmpo query his future in Milwaukee?
Fantasy spin
Giannis Antetkounmpo comes with warts in class codecs, however he is a top-4 possibility for factors leagues. Damian Lillard completed outdoors the highest 24 for the primary time in a decade, so anticipate him to bounce again after a complete offseason to coach, relaxation and recuperate with out exterior distractions.
Brook Lopez’s age is catching up with him, so he is a straightforward fade for me at his present ADP. One participant to observe for within the later rounds is Bobby Portis Jr. Portis’ utilization fee eclipsed 25% underneath Doc Rivers and he ranked 79th in per-game worth over the season’s remaining three months. — Dan Titus
2024-25 schedule
Too many issues need to go proper. Take the underneath.
