Subscribe
Follow Us
After the blockbuster trade for Damian Lillard instantly propelled them to championship favorites, the Milwaukee Bucks flamed out in the first round for the second straight postseason in another upset. Still, injuries to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Lillard figured in their loss to the Indiana Pacers, but they may not have much time to figure it out. So, the Bucks decided to fill out the roster before September training camp by signing James Akinjo and Liam Robbins to Exhibit 10 deals.
The team announced their new signings in a press release on Tuesday, as shared by Eric Nehm on X, formerly Twitter.
The Bucks' new signings
After signing Exhibit 10 deals, both James Akinjo and Liam Robbins can participate in the Bucks training camp and gives them a chance to sign with their G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd.
Last season, Akinjo split time in the G League with the Herd and the Stockton Kings. During his time with the Herd, he averaged 9.7 points, 3.9 assists, and 2.2 rebounds in 14 games. He also joined the Bucks' summer league team in Las Vegas. Likewise, he averaged 14.7 points in his G League debut with the Westchester Knicks in 2022-2023.
In college, Akinjo also played for Georgetown, Arizona, and Baylor.
Meanwhile, Liam Robbins has defensive credentials, having won SEC Defensive Player of the Year for Vanderbilt in the 2022-2023 season. Likewise, the seven-foot center averaged 15.0 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks while shooting 50.4% from the field as a senior, where he also became a finalist for National Defensive Player of the Year.
Article Continues Below
Robbins had spent time with the New Orleans Pelicans in the last preseason, though they waived him shortly after. With these signings, the Bucks go into training camp with three players on two-way deals, including Anjezs Pasecniks, whom they signed in early August.
Outlook
For a contender like the Bucks, with a mostly complete roster, there's nothing else to do but fill the gaps on the margins or add more bodies to play with in practice, like Akinjo and Robbins. This team simply has to worry about figuring things out with their core of Giannis, Dame, and Khris Middleton.
Dame Time might be running out, for one, because he's already 34 years old, and heavy usage scoring guards tend to slip little by little as they get older. Likewise, Middleton is 33, with a relatively long injury history. This means Giannis has to lead an aging roster back to the Finals as he himself has struggled with injuries.
To be honest, the Bucks' best time to win another championship was last season. However, they fired Adrian Griffin, who had them rolling to a 30-13 record, only to replace him with Doc Rivers, another playoff underachiever. Essentially, the Bucks fired Mike Budenholzer only to replace him with another version, but probably worse.
Championship windows in the NBA don't tend to last very long, and teams should do whatever they can to maximize it. After what happened last season, though, is it safe to say that the Bucks' window has closed?
