The Milwaukee Bucks couldn’t have asked for a better 2020-21 season, as they went on a sensational run to their first championship in 50 years. Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t win a third-straight MVP, but continued to be one of the NBA’s most dominant two-way forces, and finally broke through to have huge playoff performances, most notably his 50-point effort to close out the Phoenix Suns. Khris Middleton continued in his emergence as a superstar in the NBA, while Jrue Holiday finally gave them the two-way effort out of their point guard position they’ve been desperately seeking for years.
Now, the Bucks are in run it back mode, as they look to back up their title season with another run to a championship.
Roster:
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Khris Middleton
Jrue Holiday
Brook Lopez
Pat Connaughton
Donte DiVincenzo
Bobby Portis
Grayson Allen
George Hill
Thanasis Antetokounmpo
Rodney Hood
Semi Ojeleye
Jordan Nwora
Sandro Mamukelashvili (two-way)
Justin Robinson (two-way)
Projected Vegas Win Total: 54.5 (BetMGM)
Biggest Addition: Grayson Allen
While the Bucks kept their core intact, they did shuffle the deck a bit with their bench depth. I think this Bucks team is deeper for the regular season thanks to Allen, Hood, Hill, and Ojeleye, but lost a bit of the top-end talent that got them to a title in the postseason. Of those four, I feel like Allen has the chance to give them some quality minutes when the playoffs roll around, and that could be very important. We saw last year how their wing rotation really became a weakness after DiVincenzo got hurt, and Allen provides some valuable depth as a 3-and-D wing.
Biggest Loss: PJ Tucker
Tucker was a midseason acquisition ahead of the trade deadline and didn’t do a ton in the regular season for the Bucks, but became a crucial playoff player, starting a number of games for them on the road to a title. The Tucker absence likely won’t be noticeable in the regular season, but they will miss the versatility he provided them in terms of how they handled their frontcourt rotation in the playoffs. Adapting to his absence is going to be the biggest task for this team once they reach the postseason, as they didn’t really get a real replacement for him — although, it’s possible they go mining the trade or buyout market for a 16-game player midseason again.
Biggest Question: Can they take down a full-strength Nets squad?
These are the two clear heavyweights in the East, and while there may be some teams that can scare them in a second round matchup, it’s hard not to see how we get a rematch of their thrilling second-round series again this year, most likely in the ECF this go around. The Nets have their own questions, namely Kyrie Irving’s status, but if this Nets team arrives to a Bucks series at full strength, it will be the toughest task this Milwaukee team has faced yet. That’s not to say they can’t overcome it, but Brooklyn’s firepower will force them to hit shots from deep in a way they never really ha to in their run to the Finals this past season.
What Makes This Season A Success: A trip to the Finals and a shot at repeating
Having a fresh championship banner takes some of the pressure off of Milwaukee to feel like this is a title or bust season, but competing for a championship remains the expectation. I think most in the city would consider a Finals trip a success, and if they get there they’ll likely be favored or at worst a coin flip on the odds sheet to win it. Getting there almost assuredly means taking down the Nets, and that would require a significant battle that figures to take something out of both teams.
What Makes This Season A Failure: A second round exit/Blowout loss to Brooklyn
I don’t think a loss in the Finals or the ECF, if competitive, would feel like a failure to the Bucks. However, taking a full step back to losing in the second round or getting dominated and swept by the Nets would hurt a lot. This is a team that expects to be in the mix annually, and getting smoked by their top competition would be drop morale considerably in Milwaukee.
