Apr 29, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) shoots the ball while Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) defends during game five of the first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

NBA Insider Predicts Bucks Could Be Major Surprise in Eastern Conference

Originally posted on Milwaukee Bucks on SI
By Alex Kirschenbaum | Last updated Aug 10, 2025 11:30 AM ET

Since winning it all in 2021, the Milwaukee Bucks' lack of playoff success has been frustrating to players, pundits and fans alike.

Milwaukee hasn't even won a playoff series since 2022, and has undergone severe roster turnover in the intervening few seasons. Only two players remain from that 2020-21 season: nine-time All-NBA superstar power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and perpetual Sixth Man of the Year candidate Bobby Portis Jr.

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Can the 2025-26 season's reconfigured Bucks, with 3-and-D center Myles Turner and a few ex-Orlando Magic guards joining the fray, do some real posteason damage next spring?

During a new segment on "NBA Today," ESPN's Dave McMenamin posited that Milwaukee could mount a surprise postseason run.

"Isn't he [Antetokounmpo] like the best two-way player in the game?" McMenamin asked. "Isn't that supposed to mean something in your prime, only a few years removed from a 50-point game in the clincher in the NBA Finals? If Giannis is who we all think he is, they should be in the conversation."

"We saw the Miami Heat get to the Finals as the eighth seed a couple of years ago," McMenamin said. "Have some patience, let this team come together, see what you have. And guess what? You don't have to win next year, you haven't won since 2021. You can look at the big picture and say, 'This might be a rocky period in my time with the franchise, but this will allow me to, some day, retire having only played for the Bucks — if you get through this period."

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The ESPN broadcast at one point flashed a graphic predicting Milwaukee's potential starting lineup and key reserves.

Antetokounmpo and Turner are the two no-brainer starters in the frontcourt, but beyond that, it seems like the other three spots could be up for grabs.

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ESPN predicts that newly re-signed guards Kevin Porter Jr. and Gary Trent Jr. — both of whom started Milwaukee's last game of the year, a closeout Game 5 playoff series overtime loss to the Indiana Pacers — are predicted to serve as the Bucks' starting backcourt. Forward Kyle Kuzma, whom Doc Rivers had demoted to the bench in Game 5, is penciled in as Milwaukee's starting small forward.

Newly signed ex-Orlando Magic guards Cole Anthony and Gary Harris are expected to play a big role off the bench, as are floor-spacing wing AJ Green and re-signed forward Taurean Prince and Bobby Portis Jr.