2017 NBA Offseason Review: Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks had a quiet offseason adding rookie talent as they look to continue their ascension to the top of the East

Patrick Oxford
Jul 28, 2017 · 4 min read
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The Milwaukee Bucks were able to get back into the playoffs last season, and after a hard-fought loss to the Toronto Raptors in the first round, Milwaukee appears poised to make noise again with the same core and additional rookie talent.

Key Losses

The only Bucks player to crack 1,000 minutes last season not back on the roster this season is Jason Terry, and although he did provide valuable veteran leadership and occasional production last season, they have plenty of players that should be able to step in and soak up those minutes including Rashad Vaughn who still needs to show what the Bucks saw in him when they used a top 20 pick on him two years ago. This upcoming season will only be his age 21 season, so there should be plenty of reason to still be hopeful.

Key Additions

The Bucks brought in some rookie talent this season and two names stick out as potential end of rotation players: DJ Wilson and Sterling Brown. Wilson was their 1st round pick and shows tremendous potential as a versatile athlete that can defend multiple positions on the court. He will be another weapon that can be moved around the court in a Bucks scheme that thrives on that kind of switchability. Sterling Brown will bring some athleticism to a backcourt badly in need of it. He projects as a 3&D player which is exactly what the Bucks need alongside the core they have drafted in the last few years.

The Bucks also brought back Tony Snell for another season, and they have to be hoping that his performance last season wasn’t a contract year fluke. He had the best season of his career and if it was due to the system, they shouldn’t have much to worry about going forward with him.


Looking Ahead

The Bucks have set themselves up to have a core that can grow together for years to come. Their cap situation isn’t quite as bright, so they will have to either makes moves in the trade market or continue to hit on draft night to sustain this momentum the franchise currently has. Giannis Antetokounmpo looked like the 2nd best player in the East last season behind Lebron, and the gap should only continue to close as one gets closer to his peak and the other drifts farther away. The next step in his development is gaining confidence and consistency in his jumpshot, and he is spending this offseason practicing that exact thing.

Last season the Bucks finished 6th in the East and with the Atlanta Hawks falling out of contention Milwaukee should be able to make a race for homecourt interesting at the end of the season. Both Toronto and Washington were clearly a tier above Milwaukee last season, but the youth of the Bucks points to more growth from them than those other squads. Jabari Parker isn’t expected to return from his latest injury until All-Star break, so Middleton staying healthy is important to ensure Giannis isn’t tasked with too big a workload. The hope for the team should be that Giannis and Middleton can hold down the fort to start this season, and once Parker returns they have 30 or so games to work him into the offense gradually leading up to an offense that features all 3 to their strengths.

Because Parker is expected to miss so much time already, it’s important that the two sophomores on the team, Malcolm Brogdon and Thon Maker, are able to continue to make a positive impact in increased minutes. Brogdon can stand to add another 4 or 5 minutes a game, and Maker adding 15 wouldn’t be a surprise to me. He was starting for a portion of last season but even in those starts he was often quickly subbed out and then brought back in for the 2nd half just to see the same substitution pattern. This season I expect he will fully grab hold of that starting position and the minutes that come along with it.

After finishing just above .500 last season, the Bucks should be targeting 50 wins as a threshold for regular season success. That total would give them a fairly good shot at homecourt in the first round and getting to the 2nd round of the playoffs would represent tangible growth from last season, which is what they need to convince Giannis that this is the team he should spend his entire career with.

Patrick Oxford

Written by

Writer for The 94 Feet Report, Scout, Coach

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