The Bucks' title defense ended in frustrating circumstances last season, as Khris Middleton was knocked out of the playoffs due to a knee injury and they blew a 3-2 lead to the Celtics in the second round. Had Middleton been healthy, many believe they would have beaten the Celtics, and perhaps gone back-to-back.
Milwaukee's front office certainly believes as much, which is why they brought back an incredible 16 players from last season's team -- a number head coach Mike Bundeholzer said was a record in his three decades in the league. The Bucks are banking on that continuity, along with better health, to get them back to the promised land.
Of course, it always helps to have the best player in the world on your side. Coming off a historic showing in the playoffs, and a regular season in which he averaged a career-high 29.9 points, 11.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game, Giannis Antetokounmpo checked in at No. 1 on this year's CBS Sports NBA Top 100 list.
With Giannis at the peak of his powers -- he has a real chance to win his third MVP this season, and become just the ninth player in league history to do so -- the Bucks will always have a chance to win it all. But the East is much improved, and the Celtics, Sixers, and possibly Nets will be ready and waiting to provide a serious test.
Key Changes
Signed Joe Ingles in free agency
Drafted Marjon Beauchamp with the No. 24 overall pick
Roster
| Player | Position | Age |
|---|---|---|
Grayson Allen | Guard | 26 |
Giannis Antetokounmpo | Forward/Center | 27 |
Thanasis Antetokounmpo | Forward | 30 |
Marjon Beauchamp | Forward | 21 |
Marques Bolden | Forward | 24 |
Javon Carter | Guard | 27 |
Pat Connaughton | Forward | 29 |
AJ Green | Forward | 23 |
George Hill | Guard | 36 |
Jrue Holiday | Guard | 32 |
Serge Ibaka | Forward/Center | 33 |
Joe Ingles | Forward | 35 |
Brook Lopez | Center | 34 |
Sandro Mamukelashvili | Forward/Center | 23 |
Wesley Matthews | Guard | 35 |
Khris Middleton | Forward | 31 |
Jordan Nwora | Guard | 24 |
Bobby Portis | Forward | 27 |
Luca Vildoza | Guard | 27 |
Lindell Wiggington | Guard | 24 |
Top of the key: Giannis in historic company
Last season, Giannis put up 29.9 points, 11.6 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.4 blocks per game, which was his second season of at least 29 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and one block; no one else has officially had one such season. He also became the first player to average at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in four seasons, he became the Bucks' all-time scoring leader and passed Michael Jordan on the all-time triple-doubles list.
In the playoffs, he joined Shaquille O'Neal and Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to ever record a postseason game with at least 40 points, 20 rebounds and five assists. He also became the first player ever to have 200 points, 100 rebounds and 50 assists in a series, as he nearly carried the Bucks past the Celtics by himself.
For his efforts, he earned a sixth consecutive All-Star appearance and fourth consecutive All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive First Team selections. He also finished runner-up for the scoring title, third place in the MVP voting and sixth place in the Defensive Player of the Year race. It was little surprise, then, that he also came in at No. 1 on CBS Sports' NBA Top 100 list heading into this season.
The Greek Freak is one of the most unique superstars the league has ever seen, boasting a heretofore-unseen combination of size, athleticism, skill and will to win. His drive to improve every single day just might be his most important trait, and it will be fascinating to see how he got better over the summer.
Next up: Gotta stay healthy
Staying healthy is key for every team, but especially a contender that is as top-heavy as the Bucks. They have a number of solid role players who fit in perfectly alongside the team's big three of Giannis, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday, but don't have the capability to step into a bigger role when one of them goes down. As we saw in the playoffs last season, their offense was often a mess once Middleton went down, even with Giannis putting up historic numbers.
Since Holiday arrived ahead of the 2020-21 season, the Bucks are 86-28 between the regular season and playoffs when Giannis, Middleton and Holiday are all on the court, and 34-35 when at least one of them is out. That's a drop-off from a .754 winning percentage to a .430 winning percentage.
The bad news is they are going to start the season without Middleton, who underwent wrist surgery over the summer and will not be cleared by opening night. The good news is he should be back sooner rather than later and the issue is not expected to affect him long-term. In any case, the main goal is to be 100 percent come playoff time, and if that means losing a few regular season games in the process that's a trade the Bucks would gladly make.
One more thing: A defensive change?
The broad strokes of the Bucks' defensive scheme since head coach Mike Budenholzer was hired in 2018 is that with Giannis and Brook Lopez anchoring the backline they prioritize protecting the paint, often at the expense of giving up plenty of open 3-pointers.
Overall, the strategy has worked; in Budenholzer's four seasons, the team has finished first, first, ninth and 14th in defensive rating. But even if you acknowledge that last season's mark is skewed due to Lopez playing just 13 games, there's been a clear downward trend. Plus, in small sample sizes, such as Game 7 of last season's second round when the Celtics hit 22 3-pointers, it can go horribly wrong.
It was interesting, then, when associate head coach Charles Lee, filling in for the injured Budenholzer, revealed after the team's preseason loss to the Grizzlies that limiting opponents 3-point attempts has been an emphasis for the Bucks this training camp.
"We hang our hat on defense every night, no matter who is playing. It's about us and our habits and just trying to build really good competitive habits," Lee said. "And I thought, for the most part during the game, we limited them to 28 3s, which has been a little bit of an emphasis, well, not a little bit, it's been an emphasis for us on how do we reduce team's 3-pointers and make them have to shoot contested tough 2s. So I thought from that perspective, really good.
The Bucks aren't going to suddenly let teams get whatever they want at the rim, but with the league becoming ever more 3-point-heavy, they are following the trends and will make more of an emphasis to defend the line. How that new scheme works will be an interesting subplot to the team's season.
Key games
Oct. 20 at Sixers: The Bucks will open their season on the road against the Sixers and old friend PJ Tucker. This will be a strong test against another potential East contender.
Nov. 25 vs. Cavaliers: On the day after Thanksgiving, the Bucks will welcome the new-look Cavs to town for what should be a fascinating contest. Giannis vs. Evan Mobley will be worth the price of admission alone.
Dec. 25 at Celtics: For the second consecutive season, the Bucks will face the Celtics on Christmas Day. This time, it will be in Boston and Milwaukee will be out for revenge after its playoff loss.