The Milwaukee Bucks have had seasons end in the first round of the NBA playoffs in the last two seasons. It has not been smooth sailing for this organization over the past couple of seasons. Milwaukee fans have had to see constant Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors on in the internet, but he is not going anywhere.
Speaking of trade rumors, other players faced a ton of that noise in the offseason, including center Brook Lopez. There were no trades involving key players for the Milwaukee Bucks this offseason. It will be interesting to see how some of these players respond in the 2024-2025 season.
Milwaukee finished as the third seed in the Eastern Conference a season ago. Losing to the Indiana Pacers in six games was not ideal. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard were injured and it did not help their cause.
Bleacher Report Gives One Reason Why To Not Overlook the Milwaukee Bucks In the 2024-2025 NBA Season
Dan Favale of Bleacher Report gave a reason as to why the Milwaukee Bucks should not be overlooked for the 2024 season. He thinks that last year’s decline of the team was overblown. The Bucks are an older group and they needed to get younger in spots during the offseason. Favale said:
“Inconsistency, drama, underperformances, injuries and painfully obvious roster flaws all contributed to the Milwaukee Bucks turning in a topsy-turvy, thoroughly unconvincing 2023-24 campaign.
And you know what?
They still won 49 games.
And they still outscored opponents by 16.3 points per 100 possessions when Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez all shared the court.
Crafty signings on the margins—Gary Trent Jr., Taurean Prince, Delon Wright—only buoy Milwaukee’s depth and appeal. Many of its concerns remain the same (supplemental athleticism, point-of-attack defense), but the roster is far better equipped to work around, if not outright plug, some of them.
Downside endures at the top. The Big Four aren’t getting any younger, and Khris Middleton is coming off buy-one-get-one free ankle surgeries.
But Lillard remains a swing piece. He won’t be coming off a summer of trade-rumor theater and relocation. This situation is less new and fluid and more familiar. That’s a big deal.
If you don’t buy the off-court component in full, well, Lillard of all people won’t drill under 33 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes again—yet another big deal for a Bucks team that, despite its faults, remains its own big deal.”
Khris Middleton is 33 years old and will have a player option on his deal after the 2024-2025 season. Middleton is the third option on this team after Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo and they all need to remain healthy. Bobby Portis Jr. can not be the only player contributing off the bench.
There have been some criticisms of head coach Doc Rivers for not getting it done in the past in the playoffs. Milwaukee fired head coach A.J. Griffin Jr. during the middle of last year when they were 30-13. If the Bucks flame out again in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, general manager Jon Horst may be out of a job.
The biggest question for the Milwaukee Bucks should be are they better on paper right now than teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers, the New York Knicks, and the Boston Celtics? The answer seems to be no.
