Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks have cleared a huge hurdle by signing Giannis Antetokounmpo to a supermax extension. This gives the franchise a clear direction forward having their homegrown superstar to build around. The offseason additions of D.J. Augustin, Torrey Craig, Bryn Forbes, Jrue Holiday, and Bobby Portis should give the Bucks a deeper and better defensive team to surround Giannis with.
However, until Giannis becomes a better halfcourt player and the Bucks develop more than one way to play they will continue to run into the same problems in the postseason like they did against the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat in consecutive postseasons. Giannis remains the best transition player in the game because of his long strides and the combination of agility and power in the open court, but in the halfcourt, he can be prone to offensive fouls and turnovers because of his lack of a reliable jumper.
In the playoffs, teams form a wall to stop Giannis and the Bucks have yet to figure out a way to beat this defense. If the Bucks continue to struggle with the same concepts this postseason, expect a coaching change. Jrue Holiday is an upgrade at point guard and the Bucks will need his excellent two way play in order to give the team a better chance at long term success.
The Bucks can’t rely on Giannis to do everything and Holiday should be able to set up the offense better and earlier in the shot clock. Khris Middleton will need to improve his all-around game and build off a career-best season. The Bucks will go as far as Giannis can take them.