30 Teams in 30 Days: Milwaukee Bucks

Offseason
Last season
The latest attempt to maximize the prime years of Giannis Antetokounmpo came up short of expectations when Antetokounmpo pulled up lame with a calf injury in the playoffs and exposed the Bucks as being too dependent on their former Kia MVP.
That alone isn’t much of a crime. However, none of the key personnel delivered superior results — not Damian Lillard despite being an All-Star in his first season in Milwaukee, nor Khris Middleton nor Brook Lopez. The veteran core looked old at times, a troubling sign for a team that lacked young up-and-comers, failed to win 50 games, fired coach Adrian Griffin and entered the offseason too cap-restricted to make major moves.
Summer summary
Same old Bucks? This was OK in the immediate wake of their 2021 championship. That was three years ago and Milwaukee again failed to spice up a roster that’s in danger of becoming too stale.
The big splash came in the 2023 offseason when they dealt for Lillard. This time, the Bucks settled on Johnson from the Draft and, using minimums, Prince, Trent Jr. and Wright in free agency. At least Prince comes with much-needed shooting and started games for the Lakers last season. Trent could help as well.
Spotlight on
Lillard admitted he wasn’t himself last season and he shot just 35.4% on 3-pointers (he was a career 37.2% 3-point shooter entering 2023-24). The move from Portland, where he spent his entire career, shook him in more ways than one. Suddenly, he was with a title contender, he had to adjust his game to fit Antetokounmpo’s and he dealt with family issues. His ability to bounce back will weigh heavily on the Bucks’ ability to deal with the Celtics, Sixers and Knicks, among others, in the East.
How far can the Bucks go? Coach Doc Rivers gets to start from scratch and will have a training camp, something he didn’t have last season. That’s a plus. But he needs to see a refreshed Lillard and a springy Middleton both in camp and entering the season. That will erase a lot of questions.
With Antetokounmpo and a solid core that includes super-sub Bobby Portis, this team is good enough to win 50 games. Such is the case when you have an MVP-caliber player. That’s not the issue and Antetokounmpo remains a problem for other teams. Instead, are the Bucks built to last into May, at least? Not if the help surrounding Antetokounmpo doesn’t measure up to the long-term grind.
Up next: Cleveland Cavaliers | Previously: Portland Trail Blazers
30 Teams in 30 Days: Complete schedule
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.
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