When the Milwaukee Bucks were 1-6 to start the year, there wasn’t a lot of hope that they could turn things around. Fresh off firing Adrian Griffin after just 43 games (during which he helped guide them to an outstanding 30-13 record), the Bucks were decimated by injuries and were ousted in the first round of the playoffs.
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Even though they brought back Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, that 1-6 start this year indicated that maybe Milwaukee’s time as a contender may be coming to an end.
A lot of credit must go to Doc Rivers and the rest of the coaching staff, because the Bucks have shaken off that slow start to become a legitimate threat in the East. They’re currently in a three-way tie for the 4-seed with the Pacers and Pistons with a 36-28 record. Though they’re clearly below the Cavs, Celtics, and Knicks in the hierarchy, they can’t be overlooked.
Taurean Prince and Gary Trent Jr. have been solid offseason additions, especially from the three-point line, where they’re both shooting over 40 percent. Khris Middleton, who was never able to rediscover his All-Star form after years of injuries, was sent to Washington for Kyle Kuzma before the trade deadline, a deal that, if nothing else, helped make the Bucks younger and more athletic.
Giannis has been his typical MVP self. He’s second in the NBA in scoring with 30.7 points per game and sixth in rebounds with 12.1. He’s also shooting over 60 percent from the floor, a ridiculous number for someone with such a high usage rate.
Lillard has been an overqualified wingman, as he’s 11th in the league in scoring and ninth in assists. Just as the Bucks envisioned when they traded for the former Blazers star, he’s helped keep defenses honest when it comes to stopping Giannis.
What can we expect from the Bucks in the playoffs?
The race for the final playoff sports in the East is going to be fascinating. Whichever team ends up in sixth will have to deal with the Knicks and then, almost certainly, the defending champion Celtics if they find a way to get out of Round 1. The fourth and fifth teams will play each other and then the Cavs, who currently have the best record in the NBA.
The bad news for the Bucks is that they’re a combined 0-9 against the top three teams in the East. They’re 2-1 against the Pacers, though, and 2-0 against the Pistons. Interestingly, they face Detroit in the final two games of the regular season, a fact that could heighten playoff tensions if they then meet in the first-round days later.
Worst case scenario, the Bucks drop to sixth and have no answer for Jalen Brunson and company in the first round, losing in four or five games. Questions would undoubtedly swirl about Giannis’ future in Milwaukee, and at the very least, the Bucks would need a serious roster overhaul to put a team around him that could plausibly compete for another championship.
Best case? When you have Giannis, anything is possible. The Bucks proved how dangerous they could be when they won the NBA Cup in December, beating OKC in the finals to do it. Getting the 4-seed and beating the Pacers or Pistons in the first round is certainly a realistic scenario.
The road would become much tougher after that, but would anyone be surprised if the Greek Freak on an MVP level performance to upset the 1-seed Cavs in the playoffs? He’s nowhere near past his prime, and stranger things have happened.
It’s been an up-and-down year for the Milwaukee Bucks, but the ceiling remains high with this team, awful record against the top East contenders be damned. There will be many questions to answer in the offseason, but as long as they have Giannis and Dame, they can’t be counted out.
