5 keys to the Milwaukee Bucks' title hopes in the 2021-22 NBA season
After 50 years of hurt, the Milwaukee Bucks were able to hold aloft the Larry O'Brien trophy after overcoming the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals last season. It came after years of dominance in the Eastern Conference but little tangible success in the playoffs.
Giannis Antetokounmpo pledged more of his future to the franchise prior to the 2020-21 campaign and both Jrue Holiday and PJ Tucker were brought in to help on defense when the playoffs came. The moves proved successful as the Bucks were too dominant on both ends of the court for the Phoenix Suns who had no answer for Milwaukee's size in the paint and their defensive grit.
As they head into the new season to defend their crown, the Milwaukee Bucks know that every team will be after them. The Eastern Conference has also arguably become stronger should the Brooklyn Nets' stars stay fit and with the Miami Heat re-tooling.
That made the offseason challenging for the Bucks considering their salary cap space is predominantly used up by their three star's contracts. Nevertheless, they were able to add some quality depth to their backcourt, which will be essential with Donte DiVincenzo returning from injury and Bryn Forbes leaving. They were also able to re-sign Bobby Portis, who was integral to their playoff success as an energetic scoring and rebounding option off the bench.
If the Milwaukee Bucks want to repeat their success this year, though, only their offseason moves aren't going to cut it. Therefore, we have broken down five keys to the Bucks' upcoming campaign and how they can hold off the other NBA favorites.
How can the Milwaukee Bucks win another NBA title?
1. Find a way to stop Kevin Durant
Had it not been for Kevin Durant's toes, the Milwaukee Bucks may not have been champions. As it happened, they just about scraped past the Brooklyn Nets despite their opponents being weakened by injuries to both Kyrie Irving and James Harden in the series. Mainly because Durant went into killer mode, bullying his way to 35.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game.
Durant had his way with the Milwaukee Bucks, even with PJ Tucker stuck to him like a rash in most contests. There was some clamor in the media that Giannis should switch onto him, however that was clearly not the gameplan. Yet, with Tucker now gone, it may just have to be.
Durant comes into the 2021-22 season in one of the best stretches of form of his career. After dominating in the playoffs, he led Team USA to gold in Tokyo. What's more, he should have a healthier Irving and Harden alongside him facilitating his scoring. If the Milwaukee Bucks want to reach another NBA Finals, they may have to battle their way past Durant and the Brooklyn Nets once again.
2. Another Giannis Antetokounmpo MVP season
After signing a massive contract extension prior to the 2020-21 campaign, Giannis Antetokounmpo proved why he is one of the best players in the league and why the Milwaukee Bucks were desperate to keep him. The Greek big man was unstoppable in the playoffs, averaging 30.2 points per game, 12.8 rebounds, a steal and 1.2 blocks.
In the NBA Finals where he won the MVP trophy, the Phoenix Suns had no answer for his dominance. He put up 35.2 points, 13.2 rebounds and five assists across the six-game series.
If the Milwaukee Bucks are going to compete with the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets, though, Antetokounmpo will have to continue that form. He has already been the league's MVP twice, therefore knows what it takes.
Last season, his name wasn't mentioned in conversations for the award as much due to his defense. Although he earned a place in the NBA's All-Defensive First-Team, it was considerably worse statistically than the previous two campaigns. He had a defensive rating of 107 which had been sub-100 before.
3. Focus on keeping stars healthy
It was evident that the 72-day turnaround had a major effect on teams who went deep into the 2020 NBA playoffs. The LA Lakers, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets all suffered injuries to key players this season and struggled in the playoffs as a result.
Although the Milwaukee Bucks will have a turnaround time of over 100 days between their game-six victory over the Phoenix Suns and the opening night of next season, coach Bud will have to find a way to keep his stars fresh during the campaign in preparation for the playoffs.
They have proven in the past that they can win in the regular season without Giannis and certainly have the depth to beat teams below .500. However, both Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton also played in the Olympics, helping Team USA to the gold medal. The team cannot afford to manage injuries to two of their stars.
4. Greater bench contribution
If the Milwaukee Bucks are going to win another NBA championship this season, a lot of importance will have to be placed on their rotation players. Particularly while they manage their stars' minutes. Rodney Hood, Grayson Allen, Semi Ojeleye and George Hill were all brought in to add solid depth on both ends of the court while their own free agents Bobby Portis and Thanasis Antetokounmpo were also re-signed.
Last season, the Bucks' bench ranked second overall for 3-point percentage but were 19th in points scored. They also stood in the bottom half of teams for assists and steals and were 13th in rebounds. In the playoffs, their lack of bench depth, or rather trust in it, was evident. Their rotation players were afforded an average of 13.2 minutes per game (4th fewest) and contributed 23.2 points (also 4th fewest).
Therefore, given their shortened offseason and with teams wanting to take down the champions, consistent contributions from their bench will be essential. We saw how teams in the playoffs struggled to effectively replace their top stars when injured, such as Kawhi Leonard and Kyrie Irving. The Milwaukee Bucks may not have won the title had they suffered such a setback to one of their big three.
5. Donte DiVincenzo's return
Although the Milwaukee Bucks prevailed in the NBA playoffs without Donte DiVincenzo, the shooting guard will be essential to them retaining the crown. The third-year, first-round pick out of Villanova has been consistently improving with each passing season and is integral to the Bucks' success on both ends of the court.
Prior to the postseason, DiVincenzo averaged career-highs in points (10.2), rebounds (5.8) and assists (3.1). He also continued to grab over a steal per game and has become a solid shooter from deep, connecting with 37.9% of threes.
Having added Grayson Allen to the rotation and with sophomore Jordan Nwora able to fill in at shooting guard, the Milwaukee Bucks will have some healthy competition. However, should he return to his pre-injury form, the position is DiVincenzo's for the taking.