The defending champion Milwaukee Bucks are one of the few teams in history who enter the next season after winning the championship as the underdogs once again. After this off season, the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers are favored to win the title according to the famous Las Vegas odds. So, it’s going to be another season where the Bucks have to prove that they are indeed the best team in the NBA. 

Can they do it? Maybe but the field will be harder this time around and expect several players to be healthier. The Bucks made quite a few shocking decisions during the off season, one of which was letting go of PJ Tucker—the forward who was huge for their title run. Nevertheless, they added Grayson Allen who can hopefully provide the same spark that Tucker did. 

Since Giannis’ prime, the Bucks have always been a successful regular season team under Mike Budenholzer’s reign. In the 2019-2020 season, they looked dominant which also helped Giannis win his MVP. In the 2020-2021 season, they fell off a bit but they were still one of the top teams in their conference. They’ve always prided themselves as competitors in the regular season. 

Barring any major injuries, the defending champions will likely still be a top team in the regular season. The challenge for them given their short off season is to successfully make it out of their regular season healthy and do what they did in the playoffs last season—dominate with their tenacious offense and grit on defense.

That all said, here are three bold predictions on how the Bucks’ season could go: 

Bucks NBA Season Predictions

The shortened off season will be a factor

We saw it last with the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics last season—teams that battled injuries and just looked fatigued throughout the regular season. It then carried on to the playoffs where all four teams were eliminated early. The 72 day turnaround was no joke and this is what the Bucks and Phoenix Suns will be experiencing as well. 

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The good news for the Bucks is that they could load manage during the regular season. They've proven they can win without Giannis and they certainly can beat teams bellow .500. It’ll be up to coach Bud to manage his all-stars and keep them fresh come playoff time. 

The Bucks won’t lead the eastern conference standings

It’s fair to argue that the eastern conference is actually tougher this year compared to the west, which is something we don’t see often. The lethal Nets for sure will have revenge on their mind while the newly looked Miami Heat will be motivated to fight their way back in the standings, after a disappointing season. 

Can the Bucks keep up? Maybe, but given their shortened off season, the defending champions might want to manage their all-stars even at the expense of falling down the standings. 

Like the Lakers last year, the Bucks will also get every team’s best shot. That’s just what happens when you’re the defending champion. Every team will want to beat them, especially the teams that the Bucks eliminated in the playoffs. It will be up to the Bucks on how they can handle this target on their backs but their previous regular season records say they have a huge chance for success. 

Giannis Antetokounmpo will have a great year but won’t win the championship

Yes, this is a hot take alert but that’s why it's an article about predictions. It’s fair to argue that the Nets could have defeated the Bucks last season without James Harden and Kyrie Irving if only Kevin Durant stepped an inch away. What more a healthy and motivated Nets this time around? It’s hard to see a team defeat the Nets especially after how Durant played last season. 

As for Giannis, his brilliance will continue. He can go for another MVP or DPOY award but it’s hard to see his team, coming off a shortened off season, dominate a loaded eastern conference. Remember that other teams like the New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics and maybe now the Chicago Bulls could make a leap this season as well. 

Maybe the Bucks make a big trade during the season or perhaps one team loses their superstar (hopefully not) but as of right now, it’s hard to see the Bucks easily winning the east with a healthy Nets squad around. Even if they surprised odd makers in Las Vegas and make it out of the east, teams like the Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Utah Jazz or even the Suns again could be a challenge for them in the finals.