Relatively speaking, the Milwaukee Bucks have not made big splashes in the offseason. Although the Bucks signed the likes of Gary Trent Jr., Taurean Prince, and Delon Wright, those additions do not move the needle a lot for Milwaukee. It also seems like the Bucks are getting overlooked as a chief contender in some circles.

Bucks head coach Doc Rivers is aware of how his team sometimes get ignored in discussions about legitimate title contenders, but he’s fine with it. For Rivers, it’s an added motivational fuel for the Bucks, who are out to gain whatever level of respect they lost during a letdown 2023-24 season.

“We all pay attention to it. We see it,” Rivers said, per Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

“We read it. You notice you’re not playing on Christmas. There’s a lot of little things you can use. I don’t think I have to use ‘em. I think it’ll use itself, if you know what I mean. At the end of the day everybody’s 0-0 and that’s how the season starts, right? I’m more focused on us and being the best team that we can be, and at the end of the day that will do all the talking. And that’s the way I look at our team.”

The Milwaukee Bucks are gearing up for a big rebound despite quiet offseason

The Bucks took a step — or several steps — back last season. After winning 58 games in the 2022-23 campaign, Milwaukee went just 49-33 in 2023-24 even with the addition of future Hall of Famer point guard Damian Lillard. Nevertheless, the Bucks are a team to watch out for. With Rivers and Lillard having a full offseason with the team this time around and with Giannis Antetokounmpo still the leader of the squad on the floor, Milwaukee is a force to reckon with.

For what it’s worth, the Bucks have odds of +1300 to win the NBA title in 2025, per ESPN. To compare, the reigning NBA champions Boston Celtics have a price of +340 to win the league title again.

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