The Milwaukee Bucks resume play Thursday at home against the Clippers sitting 29-24 and 4th in the Eastern Conference, a game up on the Pacers, a game behind Detroit. That could be fans’ first glimpse of the team in its full form post-trade deadline, as neither Kyle Kuzma nor Kyle Porter Jr. have had the chance to take the court with Giannis Antetokounmpo, sidelined since February 2 with a left calf strain.
With their playoff experience, star power and deadline additions, ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins says they have a lofty standard to meet–or else risk a restless Giannis this offseason.
Kendrick Perkins Says Meet This Standard or Bust for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee Bucks
As Kuzma himself noted in an interview with Bucks caster Marques Johnson, Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard are the league’s highest scoring duo, clocking in at 31.8 and 25.8 PPG. Kuzma, who is averaging 16.3 PTS and 8.5 REB in four games as a Buck, is the next man up on a roster that exited the deadline with improved depth and durability.
For the 2021 champs riding 8 straight playoff berths, expectations were already high. If some fans found trading Khris Middleton unnecessary or detrimental, a transaction for the sake of change alone, well, finals-level pressure will do that. ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins believes time is ticking in Milwaukee.
“You have Giannis and Dame, who are playing at an All-NBA level,” the retired player said. “They went out at the trade deadline and got a third option guy in Kyle Kuzma, who’s by the way a champion. You go and add depth to your bench by getting Kevin Porter Jr. This team is on the clock.”
Where they sit in the standings, the Bucks do not merit a home playoff series, but having one of the league’s three best players escalates expectations dramatically. Owners of a notorious 0-8 mark against the East’s top seeds, they have been criticized for failing to go toe-to-toe with the deeper rosters atop the conference. Perhaps the adjustments will allow them to do so in the playoffs.
Perkins continued, “Although we’re talking about the Cavs, and the Celtics, and the Knicks in the Eastern Conference, who are the Milwaukee Bucks? I’ll tell you what they should be. They should be a team that at least gets to the conference finals. Without question. Other than that it’s a failed season.”
Giannis might have something to say about that, but admittedly, the past two seasons have not ended anything like fans had hoped, with two straight first round exits. Antetokounmpo’s injury, which kept him out for most of the series with Indiana, certainly played a large part in last year’s disappointment as a three-seed, but even healthy, the 2023-24 Bucks were unlikely to get past Boston.
Has that changed this season? Is a conference finals trip enough to keep frustration at bay? Perkins warned that falling short of this goal could reignite rumors of a discontented two-time MVP.
Sharks in the Water: Bucks Must Strive To Stay Afloat, Fend Off Surging Foe
According to Perkins’ colleague Udonis Haslem, health is hardly the team’s only concern. Groping to the break 4-6 in their last ten, the Bucks have an enthusiastic Pistons squad nipping at their heels. Haslem said:
Them boys in Detroit don’t know no better. They’re on Milwaukee’s ass like Huggies right now. They’re looking at a team that’s slipping, that’s clawing. They’re going into the All-Star break winning four in a row, over .500 for the first time since 2009, and they got a young superstar in Cade Cunningham.
While it’s hard to imagine that Giannis and Dame are worried about facing the youngsters in a series, seeding matters. If Milwaukee ends up sixth and the top four holds, they will earn a first round matchup with the Knicks instead of a rematch with the Pacers.
Regardless of seeding, they will likely play the Cavs or Celtics in round two, but facing only one of the top three seeds before the conference finals could do much to save energy–and increase their odds of getting there in the first place.
Passing Indiana to claim the four-seed themselves would earn them a first round series at home, another important consideration. For the non-juggernauts of the league, the dominoes often have to fall just so for a deep postseason run.
Haslem cautioned the Bucks not to underestimate the young up-and-comers.
“The Detroit Pistons are looking at the Milwaukee Bucks as food,” he said. “I think Milwaukee is in trouble, they got their hands full. They have the seventh toughest record to finish out the season.”
Of their remaining 29 games, the Bucks play non-playoff contenders in just three of them–Friday versus the Wizards and two against the Pelicans. They end the regular season with a home-and-home against Detroit.
Whether Giannis returns Thursday is uncertain, and there is no specific timetable for his return. Given that Milwaukee plays three games in four days out of the break, it would not be surprising to see Doc Rivers give him some extra rest before he plunges back into action.
With the difficulty of their schedule heading forward, the Bucks can’t afford to go on an extended skid. Hopefully the Greek Freak comes back soon, but if he needs a few more games, it will be up to Lillard, Kuzma and the rest to start the second half off strong.
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