If someone were to ask Milwaukee Bucks If you were to talk to fans about last season, many of them would probably shy away from an extended discussion. It’s not hard to blame them, either. Delving into the Bucks’ 2023 campaign is like conjuring up melancholy memories. From a momentum-killing coaching change to an early playoff exit, there’s nothing Bucks fans would like more of right now than a more successful year. While there’s no guarantee that will happen, there are some signs that point in that direction.
Quality additions like Gary Trent Jr. and Taurean Prince lead the roster adjustments. Giannis Antetokounmpo Olympic journey with Greece indicates that he is back in good shape. Doc Rivers now has a full offseason to prepare. Khris Middleton May Be Recovering From Arthroscopic Ankle Surgerybut he should be healthy once the season starts. Overall, it looks like this productive summer reset should pay off for the Bucks in October.
That being said, here are some bold predictions for the team this year.
Doc Rivers posts 50-win season
It’s easy for fans to point the finger at Doc Rivers. After suddenly replacing Adrian Griffin as the team’s new coach, Rivers has struggled to rack up wins, as evidenced by his 17-19 (regular season) record with the Bucks thus far. Yet what Rivers has done is no easy feat, even for any other coach.
A new head coach doesn’t necessarily mean an entirely new system. After all, the Bucks’ offense would still run through Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard regardless. Rivers or Griffin on the sidelines. However, coaches still have different ways of doing things. Set pieces, preferred defensive schemes, use of lineups depending on matchups, sudden adjustments during the game… no coach is exactly the same in these areas. In other words, it will take time for players to get used to the ins and outs of their revamped system.
Now imagine that a new coach arrives in the middle of the season. Of course, there will be no adaptation period and the players will have to test the changes to the system during matches.
If Rivers had a full offseason to prepare, the results would likely improve. Historically, Rivers has 20 regular seasons with records above .500 under his belt. Put superstars under his command and things look even better. In five seasons with the Boston Celtics trio of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen (2007-2012), Rivers had just one season with fewer than 50 wins. He also had good winning records when he was in charge of the “Lob City” duo of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. Given his experience managing superstars, Rivers might be able to find the right formula for the Antetokounmpo-Lillard tandem with a full offseason of preparation.
There won’t be any championship predictions here just yet, but the Bucks would definitely be a 50-win team this season (at minimum).
Bucks to make strides on defense
One of the major issues that plagued the Bucks last season was defense. Under Adrian Griffin, the team tended to stretch out to the perimeter. A specific example of this would be the way Griffin would have preferred a pick-and-roll defense According to ESPN, Brook Lopez, a paint defender, attacked the ball handler instead of retreating to the shaded area. That allowed too many open lanes and drives to the basket, and the Bucks were ranked in the bottom half of the league defensively heading into the All-Star break.
With Rivers’ arrival, Milwaukee became the third-best defensive team in February (108.9 defensive rating, according to NBA.com). They looked to crowd the paint more, using their size and giving up fewer points in the block. It’s a sign that the team will likely be a much-improved defensive unit this year. Add that to the 50-win argument, too.
Although one can theorize about how Bucks Season Changes That might impact this prediction, but they’ve only replaced what they lost. Gary Trent Jr. will take Malik Beasley’s place as the team’s primary sharpshooter. Replacing Jae Crowder is Taurean Prince, a seasoned 3-and-D wing. To make up for Patrick Beverley’s departure, veteran guard Delon Wright will join the backcourt rotation. Same roles, just different faces.
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Final thoughts
The Bucks are a solid team, there’s no doubt about it. However, the Eastern Conference is full of heavyweights like the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, and New York Knicks. If the Bucks want to be at the top of the pile, they’re going to have to be at their best, and being at their best means the players and coaching staff are on the same page.
Oh, and staying healthy definitely helps a lot. Assuming Milwaukee doesn’t face similar injury issues to the ones they did in the playoffs, things will surely go better this time around.
Games will begin in more than two months, so fans won’t have to wait too long to see the Wisconsin-based team in action again.
