No regular season game is worth overreacting to, but coming off the Milwaukee Bucks‘ controlling 121-112 win over the Nuggets Thursday night, now is as good a time as any to have a talk with ESPN, NBA.com and the rest of the national media drunk on Lakers-Warriors Kool-Aid as they continue to overlook the surging Bucks led by the league’s most productive duo in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.
Sure, Milwaukee is 4-1 since the All-Star break, but LA and Golden State have also been hot. Comparing records does not really broach the point.
Similarly, all three teams can point to transformative roster changes. Alongside the Lakers, who added Luka Doncic, and the Warriors, who snagged Jimmy Butler, the additions of Kyle Kuzma and Kevin Porter Jr are laughable comparisons.
As long as Milwaukee stays healthy, however, and even without Bobby Portis for most of the rest of the season, this team is looking like a deeper, more complete roster–two critical elements of any serious contender–than many of the teams granted higher esteem.
Milwaukee Bucks Have Been Playing like the Complete Team Their Rankings Rivals Aren’t–And Giannis Is Still Ramping Back from Injury
Since arriving in Milwaukee, Kuzma has yet to clean up the shooting inefficiency that plagued him this season in Washington. In nine games as a Buck, he has posted measly splits of 40.7/28.3/69.0%.
But watching the team with Kuzma on the court, fans should see a noticeable difference. The Bucks have more energy, are playing with more consistent pace, and are less prone to defensive lapses. Not known for his effort on that side of the ball, Kuzma has been an enthusiastic defender for Milwaukee.
He has also addressed some of the volume concerns the team had with Khris Middleton as the third option. Doc Rivers has leaned on Kuzma in clutch time, a trust that has him playing 34.4 minutes per game. In addition to his 15.3 points, he is grabbing 7.4 rebounds, a key area of weakness for the Bucks without Portis.
With Kuzma on the roster, Jericho Sims logging regular minutes, and Porter Jr providing excellent punch off the bench, Portis’ absence, while hard to overstate, is not as dire as it would have seemed pre-trade deadline.
Reserves Porter Jr, Gary Trent, AJ Green and Andre Jackson give the Bucks solid backcourt depth. And although it is not ideal, Kuzma is a capable power forward with Giannis and Brook Lopez staggered at center.
Milwaukee has patched its weaknesses and, oh, yeah, they also have Giannis and Dame. With 28 points, 19 rebounds and 7 assists versus Denver, the Greek Freak is only ramping up. Yikes.
National Narratives Favor Big-Money Markets
Milwaukee is a small-market team, and they did not make league-shattering moves at the deadline like the aforementioned media darlings. But they are 33-25, 5th in the East, and trending up. The same can be said for LA, 4th in the west at 36-21, and Golden State (7th, 32-27).
Outside of their star duos, however, those teams have glaring problems. For one, the Lakers do not have a starting center. Sorry, Jaxson Hayes looks good catching lobs from Luka, but he isn’t it.
Golden State will have major size issues against bigger teams. Starting Draymond Green at center worked in his prime, but a lineup of Butler, Green and Kuminga means the tallest Warrior on the floor will be 6’7. As great as Curry is (on display with a 56 point performance on 9/13 from deep Thursday in Orlando), that trio makes them liable to spacing issues with their lack of three-point shooting.
Nonetheless, media outlets and oddsmakers rank these teams and others ahead of the Greek Freak, two-time MVP and a Finals champion, Dame Lillard, and a supporting cast looking ever better of late.
Where Milwaukee Ranks According to NBA Writers and Oddsmakers
Here’s how NBA.com viewed the playing field in their latest power rankings:
- OKC
- Boston
- Cleveland
- LA Lakers
- Denver
- New York
- Indiana
- Memphis
- Houston
- Minnesota
- Golden State
- Milwaukee
The Timberwolves? Really?
The consensus odds pin the Bucks with the 9th shortest title odds, as high as +5000 in the market. Books give the Lakers and Warriors more than the double Milwaukee’s chance to win the finals.
Given this team’s 0-8 record against the top three seeds in the East, it is only natural that the market should doubt their ceiling. The argument is not that this is a top four contender in the league. It isn’t that they will win another ring or are a lock for the conference finals.
But power-rating them behind teams like Indiana, Minnesota, and Golden State, and well behind the Lakers, is just silly. The Bucks have indisputably the best player of any team outside the top 5. Defense be damned, Lillard is a better second asset those teams can offer except perhaps Lebron James.
Hey, Warriors fans, you won’t see Dame dropping 3 points any night of the season.
Defense wins championships, and stars win series. The Bucks have both and have shown better depth than several of the teams ahead of them, with fewer obvious weak spots. Giannis isn’t even full strength yet. His 33 minutes against Denver was his most since returning from a strained calf.
Following the win over the Nuggets, Milwaukee may get a bump in the rankings. Will it be an adequate upgrade? Keep the pundits doubting.
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