The first week of NBA action is in the books for the Milwaukee Bucks. During that span, they have gone 2-1, which includes an opening-night win over the Philadelphia 76ers, as well as a statement victory over the defending Eastern Conference champs Miami Heat.
The Bucks did suffer a blowout loss against Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks, which makes it safe to say that it has been a bit of a roller coaster for Milwaukee in Week 1.
Milwaukee Bucks’ Grade After First Week: B
The Bleacher Report staff turned in their analysis of each team’s performance through the first week of NBA basketball. According to reporter Greg Swartz, the Bucks have earned a grade of “B” for their opening salvo.
All eyes have been on Damian Lillard following his blockbuster trade move this past offseason. The seven-time All-Star put the basketball world on notice with a tremendous 39-point performance in his debut. His second game, however, “couldn’t have gone much worse.”
Dame came crashing back down to earth with a six-point dud on 2-of-12 shooting against the Hawks. He bounced back against Miami, though, dropping 25 points on the team he was supposed to join this summer.
Lillard should be more consistent than this moving forward, but until he is, you have to say that the “B” grade is probably well-deserved for the Bucks.
Counting on Khris
Swartz also points out that Milwaukee will need to see a considerable amount of production from Khris Middleton, who is still recovering from offseason knee surgery. The three-time All-Star clearly isn’t a hundred percent healthy yet (he was forced to sit out the Hawks loss for rest purposes), and the Bucks need him back to his old self as soon as possible:
“While Lillard works to find his rhythm in Milwaukee, the Bucks’ main concern should be that of Khris Middleton, who needs to get back to being a reliable No. 3 option. His first two games (5.5 points, 33.3 percent shooting in 16.5 minutes) haven’t shown us much evidence of that,” Swartz wrote.
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