Three questions for the Milwaukee Bucks ahead of the 2025-26 NBA season

The Milwaukee Bucks have pieced together a quietly good offseason. Multiple new additions via free agency have strengthened the overall rotation. Head coach Doc Rivers will now have access to a string of new offensive talent. 

However, it will be the partnership between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Myles Turner that will ultimately dictate how successful Milwaukee can be during the 2025-26 campaign. 

Here are three big questions the Bucks must answer to begin the new season.

Will the Bucks play big? 

One of Milwaukee's big moves last season was the acquisition of Kyle Kuzma from the Washington Wizards. With a full preseason under his belt, Kuzma will undoubtedly want to impress his new team. However, the addition of Turner has raised some questions.

Last season, Antetokounmpo spent 68% of his minutes as a power forward. The other 32% came at the center. With Turner now on the roster, Rivers needs to figure out how to best use Kuzma. The most logical answer is to play Kuzma as a small forward (where he spent 43% of his minutes for Milwaukee last season), Antetokounmpo as a power forward and Turner as a center.

That front-court rotation would be elite defensively, have no problem controlling the glass and dominate when getting downhill or spacing the floor. However, Rivers may see Kuzma's value as being a sixth man. Therefore, his decision on how to get the best out of this forward rotation will be an interesting subplot to start the season. 

Can Myles Turner be a difference-maker? 

Milwaukee rolled the dice when it moved to add Turner. Waiving and stretching Damian Lillard's contract put $22.5 million of dead cap space on the books until 2030. Unfortunately, that means Turner will have a lot of eyes on him to begin the season. 

His ability to protect the rim, run the floor and hit catch-and-shoot threes will be integral to unlocking Antetokounmpo. Not only does he need to fill the void left by Brook Lopez, but he also needs to prove he can be a ceiling raiser for a roster that has stuttered in the postseason for the last three years. 

Turner knew what he was signing up for. Now, it's up to him, Rivers and the rest of the Bucks roster to prove he was worth the risk. 

Will Cole Anthony provide a scoring spark?

Anthony spent the first five years of his career with the Orlando Magic. He's a proven scorer, both off the bench and as a starter. Furthermore, his speed allows him to be a creative force, both in the open court and when running pick-and-roll actions. 

Cole will likely be given the starting point guard role to begin the season. Therefore, his scoring will be instantly put into question, especially when running two-man actions with Antetokounmpo or Turner. 

Nevertheless, Cole was a shrewd free-agent addition on a minimal contract. If he can have a big impact, he will be seen as a steal for the Bucks. If not, he isn't going to come with a huge financial hit. Cole's experience in the Eastern Conference will be a big plus, but he will need to hit the ground running if he doesn't want to lose his job to Kevin Porter Jr.