The Milwaukee Bucks are coming off a spectacular 2018-19 campaign in which they won an NBA-best 60 games and made it to the Eastern Conference Finals before falling to the Toronto Raptors.

Now, entering the 2019-20 NBA season, the Bucks are widely viewed as the favorite to win the Eastern Conference with Kawhi Leonard no longer around to thwart them.

Milwaukee was able to retain Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez in free agency this summer, but it did lose Malcolm Brogdon, which was certainly a pretty significant blow.

So, are the Bucks still equipped to finish atop the East?

Here are five bold predictions for Milwaukee going into next season.

5. Sterling Brown will become the starting shooting guard

With Brogdon gone, the Bucks are searching for answers at shooting guard. They signed Wesley Matthews this summer, but Matthews is just a mere shell of the player he once was.

There is also Pat Connaughton, but he is actually not the sharpshooter many think he is (33 percent from downtown this past year) and is certainly not a starter.

That leaves Sterling Brown, who may very well be the best option Milwaukee has at 2-guard.

Brown has size, strength and athleticism and just had a solid 2018-19 season, averaging 6.4 points and 3.2 rebounds while shooting 46.5 percent from the floor and 36.1 percent from distance in a bench role.

Look for him to ultimately win the Bucks' starting shooting guard spot, whether that occurs right off the bat or at some point during the season.

4. Giannis Antetokounmpo will shoot more 3-pointers

Giannis Antetokounmpo is unquestionably one of the best players this league has to offer, but he has one gigantic hole in his game that needs fixing, and that's his outside shot.

Antetokounmpo's lack of a perimeter jumper was exposed against the Raptors, and it's something that will continue to be exploited in playoff series until he makes a change.

Now, don't expect Giannis to become a knockdown shooter, but at the very least he should attempt more 3-pointers than he did this past season, when he took 2.8 triples per game.

The Bucks are a shoo-in to make the playoffs, so it makes sense for Antetokounmpo to experiment with that shot during the regular season. If he can just hit around 32-33 percent of his triples on three to four attempts per game, it would make a huge difference.

3. They'll make a trade for more wing depth

One area in which the Bucks could use some help is on the wing. They have a lot of serviceable guys at shooting guard and small forward, but not a whole lot of talent.

The good news for Milwaukee is that there is plenty of time to make a move between now and the February trade deadline, and the Bucks will almost certainly explore shoring up their wing depth between now and then.

Right now, they will be relying heavily on Matthews, who is a few years removed from a torn Achilles, and 38-year-old Kyle Korver to hold down the fort on the wing, and they will also really need a big season out of the aforementioned Brown.

It would be nice for Milwaukee to have more stability at those two positions.

2. They'll finish No. 1 in the East again

Yes, the Bucks lost Brogdon, which is huge, but with Antetokounmpo and Middleton, not to mention head coach Mike Budenholzer, they should still have enough to finish with the best record in the East.

Milwaukee probably won't win 60 games again, but 55 wins can absolutely earn them the No. 1 seed in the conference, and they'll probably finish around that number in the 2019-20 NBA season.

The Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers will all be on their heels, but there are just too many variables for those three clubs to put them above the Bucks in the regular-season standings.

1. They won't get to the NBA Finals

While the Bucks will finish with the best record in the East in the 2019-20 NBA season, they will once again fall short of the NBA Finals.

What Milwaukee did this past season was a bit of a fluke, and it's hard to put too much faith in a team that has Khris Middleton as its second-best player. No disrespect to Middleton, who is really good, but I don't think you can win a title with him as your No. 2 guy.

If Victor Oladipo (big if) is able to come back healthy, I believe the Pacers will actually end up representing the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals.

The Bucks just depend far too much on Giannis.

Now, would it shock if Milwaukee ultimately won the East? No, but I just don't think it will happen.