How far can the Milwaukee Bucks go in the 2021-22 NBA season?
The Milwaukee Bucks are coming off a thriller of an NBA season. With a great regular season and playoff run, the Bucks emerged as champions after beating the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals in six games. Winning their second championship in franchise history after 50 years, the young and talented roster looks set to repeat their postseason success in the 2021-22 season.
Milwaukee had a great roster going into last season. Led by their All-Star duo of antetokounmpo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, the Bucks also made moves to replace former point guard Eric Bledsoe with Jrue Holiday.
The addition of Jrue Holiday would pay dividends going forward. Acquiring one of the best defensive point guards helped boost Milwaukee's potential when paired with a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate in Giannis. The mid-season addition of PJ Tucker to their roster added depth to the Milwaukee Bucks, creating several options for coach Mike Budenholzer.
With a successful campaign coming to an end and a new one on the horizon, the young Bucks squad is hungry to make another run at the title. But will they be able to make things work in their favor?
Predicting the floor for the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2021-22 NBA season
As entertaining as it is to see new dynasties rise, the task at hand requires a Herculean effort. The Milwaukee Bucks have youth on their side for the most part. But with key players such as Brook Lopez, their starting center, entering his 14th season in the league at the age of 33, there is some concern as to how they will support their big man.
With other teams also bolstering their roster strength, the Milwaukee Bucks face two major obstacles in their second championship run.
The first is making it out of the East. The majority of the competition the Bucks faced in the East suffered from injuries or a lack of experience. Milwaukee has to face an uphill battle against teams who have gotten stronger, such as the Brooklyn Nets and the Miami Heat.
Should either of these franchises stay healthy through the playoffs, the Milwaukee Bucks have their work cut out for them going into the 2021-22 season.
After the pandemic forced the NBA to use alternate methods to resume activities, the offseason for the last two seasons has been a lot shorter than usual. This creates a host of problems, particularly with the health of players.
As seen in the case of the teams that made a deep run in the 2020 NBA playoffs. After a very short recovery period before the NBA resumed activities for the new season, several players sustained injuries during the regular-season and teams suffered early playoff exits in the postseason.
With an average offseason being about 113 days after the short 2020 offseason, the Milwaukee Bucks look to resume the new season in just 90 days after winning a championship. While on paper this sounds like a long enough break, the toll the shorter offseason can take on their talent should be a concern for the Bucks.
Coming into the new season as champions, the Bucks have the pieces to dominate. They ended the 2020-21 regular-season with a 46-26 record, securing third spot in the East.
With the Bucks front office making some key roster additions as well, it does seem likely that Milwaukee will be able to repeat their regular-season success and remain in the top three of the league even at worst.
Predicting the ceiling for the Milwaukee Bucks 2021-22 NBA season
When it comes to predicting the ceiling for the Milwaukee Bucks, there really is no room for questioning championship potential. If they have done it once, they can do it again. The Bucks have shown that they have what it takes to bring an NBA title home, and their appetite for success hasn't sated.
If this wasn't enough, however, Milwaukee also made some additions to their roster. With players such as Grayson Allen and Rodney Hood joining the squad alongside George Hill, the Bucks have a strong rotation of guards in their lineup. Signing a veteran point guard like Hill gives the Milwaukee Bucks a solid backup at the point guard position.
The addition of Grayson Allen is an underrated signing. Allen can give the Bucks some impressive minutes. Having played last season with the Memphis Grizzlies, Allen averaged 10.6 points per game while shooting 39.1% from beyond the arc and giving them serious defensive effort.
Grayson Allen with the clutch steal & slam! 😤 https://t.co/JO6WgqrCJq
The return of important players should also be factored into the Milwaukee Bucks' potential success in the coming season. Milwaukee made a huge move by re-signing Bobby Portis to a two-year, $9 million deal in the offseason. Portis was a key factor in the Bucks' playoff success.
Giannis celebrating Bobby Portis' hustle 💪 #NBAFinals https://t.co/G1jMKKEXdV
Shooting 47.1% from downtown and grabbing 7.1 rebounds a game, Portis offers Milwaukee serious intensity and effort on the defensive end while also spacing the floor and being a consistent three-point threat.
The return of Donte DiVincenzo is also something that Bucks fans should be looking forward to. Being a key part of the starting lineup, DiVincenzo missed a lot of playoff action due to a leg injury. Prior to being sidelined, DiVincenzo was a solid scorer and tough perimeter defender for the Milwaukee Bucks.
While the acquisition of Allen and the rise of Pat Connaughton can create some issues with regards to distribution of minutes, a healthy DiVincenzo is a great piece for the Bucks to have.
As Antetokounmpo continues to elevate his game and discover new potential within himself, the Milwaukee Bucks have all the pieces necessary to repeat their postseason success. If all their stars and key players can remain healthy, there are very few teams in the league who can get in the way of another winning campaign.