Bucks: Ready to be contenders of the East of the NBA?
After being champions, the Bucks have not been able to return to the top. Will it be Giannis’s last opportunity in Milwaukee?
After being champions in the 2020-21 season in the NBAthe Milwaukee Bucks They have finished later campaigns with a bittersweet feeling.
This is because although in the following four years they have classified to the playoffs, in the last three seasons they have been eliminated in the first round.
What is expected of Bucks this season? Will Giannis Antetokounmpo be the leader of the franchise in the present … and future?
1- Reality or fiction: With your current roster, are the bits ready to be contenders in the east?
Reality: During the preseason, Bucks management made a couple of touch -ups to rejuvenate the roster, he left Damian Lillardwho did not live up to expectations and instead arrives Cole Anthony, which is not at that level, but is a more natural shipowner; While Myles Turner will be an improvement with respect to Brook Lopez in the center position, both the attack (15.6 points with Indiana Pacers the previous campaign) and defensive.
These pieces must be a good complement to Giannis Antetokounmpo And for the Docive system at an east conference in which in 2024-25 they were below Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks, who do not have their experience in decisive instances, and Boston Celtics and Pacers, who will miss Jays Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton, respectively, a perfect opportunity for Milwaukee to be the protagonist Turner or Kyle Kuzma a second scorer. –Juan Pablo Sánchez
Fiction: Despite continuing with one of the best players in the world in Giannis Antetokounmpo, this team is not to compete in a series of Cleveland or New York without Damian Lillard and Brook Lopez. They like the additions of Myles Turner and Cole Anthony, but without that second scorer next to Giannis, it could be that, even the bits look behind teams like Orlando, Atlanta and Detroit. The bet is clear: sacrifice Lillard’s offensive but improve the other side of the stub, since he meant a defensive hole.
On that side, you can argue that the Bucks improved despite releasing Lillard -but the problem is that several other teams of the conference also improved. Perhaps with a change, Milwaukee aspires to be among the east elite, but at this time they are closer to the play-in than of the number one sown. –Eric Gómez
2- A bucks number to the season …
38.7. The percentage of triple shots of the Bucks last season.
Headed by Taurean Prince (43.9%, third in the League) and the specialists from the Bank AJ Green (42.7%) and Gary Trent (41.6% and 50.0% in the first round of playoffs against Indiana), Milwaukee continues to take advantage of the defensive attention that Giannis Antetokounmpo receives to move the ball and have more open shots from the arch. Kevin Porter Jr., who launched for 40.8 % since he arrived from the clippers in the deadline for changes, was also a great help to maintain that level.
Other reliable options such as Brook Lopez, (37.3%) and Damian Lillard (37.6 at the time of their injury) are no longer, so they will need Cole Anthony (35.3%in Orlando) and Gary Harris (35.6%) take a step forward from the bank. Myles Turner (39.6% with 5.5 attempts for game with Indiana) can repeat or improve its best season in that line.
Antetokounmppo (22.2 in 0.9 attempts per game) almost completely abandoned that resource of his arsenal after his considerable decline in the last four years, but again, his presence will facilitate good attempts for the rest of the staff. –Hiram Martínez
3- The best / worst version of the team …
The best: one in which the team that dominated the east conference led by Giannis Antekounmppo and making a long race in the playoffs to the NBA finals dominated again. Giannis has that desire, lifting the champion trophy again with the franchise that launched him to stardom; However, with the passing of the seasons the office has been owed to the Greek star who has seen a dismantling of the template (Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton), To mention two of the most important of that 2021 championship and recently Damian Lillard, who never found his level to be Giannis’s accomplice.
Now, with the arrival of the Ala-Pivot Myles Turner, the Eavel Kyle Kuzma and the Cole Anthony escort, the Bucks added power to their defensive zone, which will be beneficial for the franchise and for the same Antetokounmpo, who will have more freedom and less pressure to load with the team, as in the previous season in which the Bucks fell short This.
The worst: a similar or worse than the 2024-25 season in which irregularity was its common denominator, where responsibility fell only in Giannis and sometimes in Lillard or the worst of all, one in which antenotokounmpo feels uncomfortable and asks to leave the franchise and leave the team that in recent times has left things what to be desired as a contestant in the NBA.
4- If Bucks is not a contender in February, will the season end up without giannis?
A few months ago they asked Giannis if he would stay in Milwaukee and his response left more uncertainty than certainty. “Probably, we’ll see,” he replied.
Giannis – who will turn 31 in December – enters the last year of his contract with the Bucks, and has been evasive to compromise in the long term with Milwaukee, the only franchise in which he has played in the NBA. The reason? He doesn’t have many years left in the basketball elite and wants to win again.
AM850 forecasts that Bucks will end sixth in the East with a 46-36 mark, and no expert is confident that they will be the NBA champions.
The panorama does not look very encouraging for the future of the antetokounmpo in Milwaukee.
If a new contract between Giannis and the Bucks is not remembered during the season, Milwaukee is unlikely to let his maximum star go next summer without receiving anything in return. First the business, then loyalty. –Luis Salazar
