The Milwaukee Bucks can win the Eastern Conference. Bucks fans would like nothing more than to see that happen. It has been since the days of Lew Alcindor since the Bucks have tasted anything close to the NBA Finals.
It can happen, though.
While many people drool all over the Toronto Raptors and the Boston Celtics the Milwaukee Bucks are quietly going about their business on becoming an Eastern Conference challenger.
The one big constant is Giannis Antetokounmpo. He showed last season that he is rising superstar in the NBA. He averaged 26.9 points per game and 10.0 rebounds a game and the scary thing is that those numbers can get even better. Everything circles around Giannis.
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Giannis, aka The Greek Freak, has taken his game to another level. Five years ago when he was skinny kid out of Greece people didn’t know what to think about him. Now, the whole league doesn’t know how to contain this guy. He’s put on muscle to make him even more difficult to defend. The athletic prowess he shows on a nightly basis is unmatched in the league.
However, as we all know, one man can not do it alone.
One of the Buck players that can certainly help the team get into the Eastern Conference is Eric Bledsoe. Eric Bledsoe was obtained in a trade with Phoenix for Greg Monroe and a projected first round pick. Bledsoe is a talented point guard who can put up good numbers. He is in the final year of his contract, so his incentive to play well will be high.
New coach, Mike Budenholzer should enjoy the defense that Bledsoe will provide. The ability to play defense is always the quickest way to gain respect from a new coach.
What Bledsoe is going to have to do is improve his three point shooting touch. Bledsoe averaged 17.8 points per game and averaged 5.1 assists a game for the Bucks. His three point shooting needs to be improved. Bledsoe only shot 34 percent from beyond the arc. The current NBA dictates that your guards be able to shoot the three pointer. Hopefully Bledsoe is in the gym putting up 100’s of shots a day.
The confidence of this Milwaukee team is growing and even recently acquired Brook Lopez is buying into this confidence.
“I’m definitely happy to be in Milwaukee because I think we have a great opportunity to do something special as a team.” Lopez stated. (USA Today)
Brook Lopez is one of those smart savvy veterans that should be able to fit in well with Coach Budenholzer’s ball movement offensive system.
Lopez will provide some scoring, low post defense, and rebounding. He can also provide some three point shooting for a post player. He shot 34.5 percent from the 3-point stripe. Anything Lopez can provide from an offensive standpoint will take some of the load off of Giannis.
Kris Middleton is coming off a year that was one of his strongest in his career. Middleton brings a very solid all-around game to Milwaukee. Middleton needs to average 20.1 points a game, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.0 assists a game again for the Bucks to continue their rise to the top. Middleton is an All-Star caliber player who many may argue was snubbed from last years All-Star Game.
Watching Middleton in person last year during the game in Phoenix, Middleton showed me that the players around him also believe in him. Middleton’s teammates were trying to get him in isolation situations and leaking out on the break. Kris Middleton is one of the main threats for the Bucks and will be one of the reasons why the Bucks will challenge in the Eastern Conference.
With new coach Mike Budenholzer and his movement type of offense, guys like Giannis, Bledsoe, and Middleton will flourish. Budenholzer finally gives the Bucks a first rate coach who knows a thing or two about getting his players in position to win games.
Coach Budenholzer was the right guy at the right time for this Buck team.
2019 could really be the year that the NBA Fear the Deer.