Milwaukee Bucks Season Preview

Milwaukee Bucks

2014 Record: 41-41

2015 O/U 43.5

Who are their stars?

One of my favorite players in the NBA is the Greek Freak Giannis Antetokonumpo. Giannis stands at about 7’0” tall with a 7’3” wingspan and at 20 years old you are starting to wonder if he will grow more. Sounds like a great a center, but he is a 217-pound small forward with the ability to run the floor in about four leg lengths. The kid is a freak and his basketball game is improving as he matures. He is getting better at scoring, and if he can become a better outside shooter he will become a top ten player. Until then, he has the title of most anticipated prospect and I hope his early twenties he can grow with a ridiculously young group. Giannis may not have been the teams best player last year, and on paper this teams’ next most important star is Jabari Parker, despite playing twenty five games last year. Parker was able to be a competent scorer as a 19 year old rookie, and you would hope that at his young age, recovering from a devastating injury and getting to the top of his game may not be as much of a challenge. The two will play the forward positions for the Bucks this year and with two guys under age 21 growing with a young core there is so much to be excited about in Milwaukee.

Who are the glue guys?

It’s especially easy to get excited when the guy who has been the teams best scorer, and biggest threat while the two stars grow is now signed in for the next five years with them. Khris Middleton is the real deal, and flew under the radar most of last year, but he was the crunch time scorer who was winning games. Middleton is 6’7” and is able to run and play the two-guard position, which when combined with Giannis gives you outlandish size at the wings. Michael Carter-Williams adds to the size of the entire backcourt at 6’6” and playing point guard. MCW is not much of a scorer, but is a talented defender. The team has loads of scoring on the bench, but to add the length will get him minutes, and with Middleton being above average on defense as well this is a really long, tough team to grind out wins on. Greg Monroe is the final piece of the five that should see the most minutes. Monroe was signed as the first real big signing the Bucks have had in free agency since I can remember, and with double-double ability there is not many holes on this starting five, and the size and length, and new look of a lean scorer at the four next to a long defender at the five fits into todays’ NBA. The length of their backcourt may be the trend for tomorrows NBA and this team may be setting the curve.

Rotational Players

As I mentioned defense may be the most important tactic of the starting five, aside from the scoring of Middleton and the unproven Parker. OJ Mayo off the bench is a nice scoring touch, and he reportedly is committed off the court for a big year on the court. Greivis Vasquez is a veteran bench guard, and a scorer at that and between him and Mayo the bench should be able to put it up. Acquiring Vasquez to spell MCW is an underrated moves this off-season, and some of the lulls that sunk Milwaukee may have some help. Rashad Vaughn and Jered Bayless add to the rotation of guards, which makes you assume that they can mix and match, slid Middleton to the three and Giannis to the four and run teams off the court. Again it is exciting, especially when you think Giannis can technically put in a few minutes at center, with Parker at the four in that lineup. The future is here, it starts with Giannis, but it revolves around the well-done construction of this team.

Where do they rank? Over Under? How far do they go?

The Bucks should be on the rise. If Parker is healthy this team will finish above .500. The question becomes how much? The core is still young, and the coach, Jason Kidd is now in his third NBA season. Bumps will happen, and the East is better, so while I could see them in the 4-5 playoff matchup, I see them as the seventh most competitive in terms of playing for an NBA title. The playoffs should be in their sights, and after two playoff wins last year, the goal should be a series. Whether or not that happens depends on the matchup, but I see the floor being a sparky lower seeded underdog and the ceiling being a second round team.

Over 43.5. 7th in the Eastern Conference, 16th in the NBA