How Improved Are The Milwaukee Bucks? Are They Still A Top 4 Team in the East?

Can The Milwaukee Bucks Be A Top 4 Seed in the East?

The Milwaukee Bucks are hoping that the addition of Myles Turner, bringing back Bobby Portis, and various other moves will allow Giannis Antetokounmpo to be the best version of himself and bring the team back to the NBA Finals.

The Eastern Conference is going to be anyone’s for the taking. With the defending Eastern Conference Champion Indiana Pacers and the recent NBA Champion Boston Celtics both missing their star players, anyone could step up and take the crown. How much did the Bucks improve, and are they going to be able to hang with some of the rising contenders in the conference?

How Much Better Are Detroit and Orlando?

Detroit and Orlando were the two teams directly behind Milwaukee in the standings last season. Both have made some high-profile additions to their rosters and will be gunning for home-court advantage.

The Magic made a big swing for Desmond Bane, acquiring the former Memphis Grizzlies shooting guard who is one of the top players at his position. Detroit has also added shooting in Duncan Robinson, who joins the Pistons from Miami.

Speaking of the Miami Heat, they just made a notable trade for Los Angeles Clippers guard Norman Powell. An All-Star snub last season, Powell gives the Heat an exciting offensive options.

Could any of these three teams leapfrog Milwaukee in the standings? Orlando seems like the most likely one. Last season, they finished only nine games behind the Bucks despite their two best players, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, missing significant time with injuries. Adding Bane, the Magic should be a top four team in the east next season.

How Much Worse Are Boston and Indiana?

The Celtics had some major subtractions from their roster in a series of cost-saving moves. Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday are on their way out, and underrated bench player Luke Kornet is departing as well. With Al Horford also unlikely to be back and Jayson Tatum set to miss much of the upcoming season with his Achilles injury, Boston will likely have three new starters for next season.

The Indiana Pacers will also be fighting to get back to the Finals without two of their best players. The Bucks took Turner in free agency, and Tyrese Haliburton is also going to miss most of the year with an Achilles injury. With two new starters needed to fill their positions, Indiana may not have the best regular season campaign next year.

Both teams will likely take significant steps backward next season without their All-NBA-caliber players. Milwaukee could have the chance to move up the standings due to this.

Conclusions

The Milwaukee Bucks won 48 games last season. To improve upon that, they hope that Turner will be a significant upgrade on the departing Brook Lopez , Kyle Kuzma gets his act together, and that guards like Kevin Porter Jr. can replace the Damian Lillard-shaped hole in the backcourt.

With some high-powered teams due to have a sluggish regular seasons, Milwaukee should have every opportunity to hang on to their top 4 spot, even if some of the younger contenders in the east take a step forward. Regardless of how Milwaukee’s top-to-bottom roster compares to other teams, they still have an MVP-caliber superstar in Giannis Antetokounmpo, something no other team in the conference has.

Antetokounmpo is the biggest reason for optimism. He is arguably the best player in the conference and gives the Bucks a chance on any given night. Holding onto their top 4 position is an achievable goal for Doc Rivers and company for the 2025-26 season.