Can the Milwaukee Bucks finally get over the hump?
Milwaukee Bucks general manager Jon Horst likes to have fun. And he’s done it again. This time, the Bucks land P.J. Tucker after, apparently, 70 percent of the league (subscription required) called for his services.
The Bucks are committing to a more switch-heavy defense and are acquiring talent that fits that bill. The question remains, however, can they get over the hump?
A Milwaukee Bucks’ history lesson
The Milwaukee Bucks hired Mike Budenholzer before the 2018-19 season. He immediately transformed the team into the No. 1 overall record in the NBA and granted Giannis Antetokounmpo his first MVP. The system that Bud implemented maximized Giannis on both ends of the floor, jettisoning him to the highest tier of players in the NBA.
While the Bucks pummeled their way through the Eastern Conference playoffs, they faltered the second they met a team worth their mettle. The difference? Nick Nurse of the Toronto Raptors went small after falling into a 0-2 deficit. They won the next four straight games. Nearly no discernible adjustments were made by Bud during the four-straight losses.
The Bucks made no massive adjustments after their surprise loss. In fact, they lost a contributor in Malcolm Brogdon and replaced him with a useful but not as good Wesley Matthews. The Bucks again had the best record in the league in 2019-20 and Giannis repeated as MVP while adding a DPOY at the same time. Again though, the Bucks had no answer in the playoffs when playing a team as good or better than them.
The Miami Heat, a roster that was almost custom-built to take advantage of the Bucks’ rudimentary (but effective in the regular season) defense, basically blew them out of the playoffs. Very few adjustments from Budenholzer. While not a disappearing act from the MVP/DPOY, he certainly did not take over the series.
We’re at the point now where the Bucks are almost disregarded as a title contender. Where Giannis is disregarded as an MVP candidate, despite putting up better numbers than last year (which is crazy, I mean holy hell how does he keep doing this). The Bucks are finally committing to change though, will it work?