If one were to ask Milwaukee Bucks fans about last season, many of them would probably refuse a prolonged discussion. It's not hard to blame them either. Delving deep into the Bucks' 2023 campaign means bringing up melancholic memories. From a momentum-halting coaching change to an early playoff exit, there's nothing else that Bucks fans would want right now than a more fruitful year. While there's no guarantee that this can occur, there are signs that point to that direction.
Quality additions such as Gary Trent Jr. and Taurean Prince headline the roster tweaks. Giannis Antetokounmpo's Olympic run with Greece indicates that he's in tip-top shape once again. Doc Rivers now has a full offseason to make preparations. Khris Middleton may be recovering from arthroscopic ankle surgeries, but he's expected to be healthy once the season begins. All in all, it looks like this productive summer reset will likely pay dividends for the Bucks come October.
With that being said, here are some bold predictions for the team this year.
Doc Rivers puts up a 50-win season
It's easy for fans to point fingers at Doc Rivers. After suddenly replacing Adrian Griffin at the helm, Rivers had trouble piling up the wins, as seen by his 17-19 record with the Bucks so far. Still, what Rivers did was no easy task, even for any other coach.
A new head coach doesn't necessarily mean an entirely new system. After all, the Bucks offense would always run through Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard no matter if it were Rivers or Griffin at the helm. Additionally, there were reports that Rivers was supposedly an informal consultant to Griffin prior to the latter's firing. Nevertheless, different coaches still have different ways of doing things. Go-to set plays, preferred defensive schemes, lineup usage depending on matchups, sudden in-game adjustments — no two coaches are exactly the same in these areas. In other words, it'll take time for players to get used to the ins and outs of their new system.
Now, imagine a new head coach entering in the middle of the season. Of course, there won't be an adjustment period, and players will have to test out the system tweaks during the games themselves.
Give Rivers a full offseason to prepare, however, and the results would arguably improve. Historically, Rivers has 20 regular seasons with above .500 records under his belt. Put him in with superstars and things look even better. Through five seasons with the Boston Celtics' trio of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen (2007-2012), Rivers only had one season with less than 50 wins. He's also had strong winning records while handling the “Lob City” duo of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. Given his experience in managing superstars, Rivers could possibly find the right formula for the Antetokounmpo-Lillard tandem with a full offseason's worth of preparations.
There won't be any championship predictions here for now, but the Bucks would definitely be a 50-win team this season (at minimum).
The Bucks will make strides on defense
One major issue that plagued the Bucks last season was defense. Under Adrian Griffin, the team had a tendency to stretch out toward the perimeter. A specific example of this would be how Griffin reportedly preferred a pick-and-roll defense that had Brook Lopez — a paint protector — blitzing the ball-handler instead of dropping back near the shaded area, per ESPN. This allowed too many open lanes and drives to the rim, and the Bucks were ranked at the bottom half of the league defensively before the All-Star break.
When Rivers arrived, Milwaukee became the third-best defensive team in the month of February alone (108.9 defensive rating, per NBA.com). They looked to clog the paint more, utilizing their height and giving up fewer points down the block. This is a sign that shows how the team will most likely be a much improved defensive unit this year. Add it to the 50-win argument as well.
While one can formulate theories on how the Bucks' offseason changes might affect this prediction, all they did was replace what they lost. Gary Trent Jr. will be taking the place of Malik Beasley as the team's primary sniper. For Jae Crowder's replacement, there's Taurean Prince, a seasoned 3-and-D wing. To compensate for Patrick Beverley's departure, veteran guard Delon Wright will be joining the backcourt rotation. Same roles, just different faces.
Final thoughts
The Bucks are a strong team, no doubt about it. Still, the East is loaded with heavyweights such as the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks. If the Bucks want that top seed, they'll have to be at their best, and being at their best means that both players and coaching staff alike are on the same page.
Oh, and staying healthy definitely helps a lot. Assuming Milwaukee doesn't face injury bug issues similar to what they experienced in the playoffs, things will surely run smoother this time around.
The games kick off in over two months, so fans won't have to wait too long to see the Wisconsin-based squad in action again.
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