Despite the Milwaukee Bucks’ unceremonious and unexpected exit from the first round of the NBA Playoffs last season, little has been done to dissuade pundits from installing the team as the cream of the crop in the Eastern Conference in the NBA.com’s offseason Power Rankings. Although the Bucks have a new coach who has some pretty huge shoes to fill, as Mike Budenholzer was the most successful coach in the NBA in the last five seasons, the team remains primed and ready to reclaim its spot amongst the league’s elite next season.
Health will be crucial
According to NBA.com’s John Schuhmann, the system that Budenholzer put in place worked wonders for the trio of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, and Khris Middleton.
“Since Jrue Holiday arrived three years ago, the Bucks have outscored their opponents by 11.5 points per 100 possessions in 2,600 total minutes with him, Khris Middleton, and Giannis Antetokounmpo on the floor together,” Schuhmann wrote.
While Griffin will have his fair share of tactical adjustments, what’s more crucial is the health of the aforementioned players and defensive ace, Brook Lopez.
“In any system, the Bucks will be really good as long as those three guys are healthy,” Schumann emphasized.
What changes will be made
The Bucks are already elite, but it doesn’t mean they can’t get any better on both ends of the floor. While Giannis did the most damage inside, few of his teammates followed suit.
“It would be nice to have somebody other than Antetokounmpo who can get to the basket. Though their star led the league in total points in the paint, the Bucks ranked 28th in the percentage of their total shots (28%) that came inside,” Schumann pointed out.
The Bucks’ exceptional perimeter defense also went AWOL in the playoffs, as the Miami Heat torched them by shooting 45 percent from beyond the arc, something that obviously needs to be improved.
“While there may be no improving on the overall numbers, there are potential tweaks to be made on both ends of the floor,” Schumann added.
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