The Milwaukee Bucks loved the trophy presentation for the NBA Cup. Giannis Antetokounmpo reveled in Adam Silver rattling off all his profession accomplishments. The world received to see Damian Lillard lastly win some crew {hardware}.
Champagne? That remained on ice. Even with the open delight at profitable the NBA Cup, the Bucks made it clear there’s a much bigger purpose: an NBA championship.
After profitable a title in 2021, Milwaukee has adopted up with a convention semifinal exit and two first-round exits. With excessive roster inflexibility after buying Damian Lillard, the questions have solely turn out to be louder about whether or not an growing old core has it in them to win 4 playoff sequence on the trot.
Are the Bucks actually again within the contender dialogue after profitable the NBA Cup? Let’s take a deeper look.
Giannis makes something attainable
What was evident with Antetokounmpo dominating the ultimate is that being the perfect participant on the courtroom all the time issues. He confirmed Vegas and everybody watching that he can nonetheless be that. He totally outplayed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on each ends of the courtroom and continues to be arguably probably the most dominant power within the sport in the present day.
What a ridiculous stat line from Giannis.
26 PTS | 19 REB | 10 AST | 3 BLK | 2 STL pic.twitter.com/fDRt49pH4w
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) December 18, 2024
On the season, Antetokounmpo is averaging 32.7 factors, 11.5 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.6 blocks whereas capturing 61.4 p.c from the sphere. After just a few years of attempting to broaden his offensive sport to incorporate threes, he has doubled down on attacking the paint. The presence of Damian Lillard actually helps with that, and Antetokounmpo is averaging simply 0.7 three-point makes an attempt per sport after averaging as many as 4.7 makes an attempt per sport in 2019-20.
Past the offense, Antetokounmpo stays a wrecking ball defensively as effectively. His rim safety and courtroom protection is elite, ensuring that opposing offenses all the time need to be cautious of the place the Greek Freak could also be lurking.
How good is the protection, actually?
When Milwaukee began the season 2-8, the crew ranked twentieth in offense and twenty sixth in protection. In going 12-3 since, the Bucks have been eighth in offense and 14th in protection.
That’s what made the stellar defensive efficiency towards the Thunder within the NBA Cup ultimate that rather more of a shock. Milwaukee was actually stifling with Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez’s inside protection combining with Andre Jackson’s pesky perimeter work exceedingly effectively. From an Oklahoma Metropolis perspective, they may argue that it was a really horrible capturing night time (5-of-32 from three) which needs to be an anomaly.
Milwaukee having Brook Lopez swap decide and roll within the second half. One in every of my favourite subplots of this season is Brook switching, seeing the drive and instantly spinning to get to the rim. pic.twitter.com/9vIUDCCEyB
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) December 18, 2024
The reality is that Milwaukee must present extra nights like that to show the protection is for actual. It’s one factor to have the ability to pull it off in a single sport, consistency goes to be key in having the idea to do it over the course of a seven-game sequence.
Middleton as X-Issue
Khris Middleton performed in 33 video games in 2022-23, 55 video games in 2023-24, and simply 4 video games to this point this season. He underwent low season surgical procedures for each his ankles and it is extremely laborious to foretell what model of Middleton the Bucks can lean on within the post-season.
Within the 4 video games this season, Middleton has averaged simply 7.0 factors in 21 minutes per sport. He’s capturing 25.9 p.c from the sphere and 25 p.c from three. Whereas it was actually spectacular that the Bucks might recover from the road in a one-game situation towards the Thunder and have circled their season as a complete, a best-of-seven with no wholesome Middleton towards the likes of Boston, Cleveland, Orlando and maybe arch nemesis Miami might show a really completely different proposition.
Now 33, Middleton must discover a technique to be near his peak averaging round 20 factors per sport for this Bucks crew to be a real championship menace. There simply isn’t sufficient scoring depth in any other case and the Bucks being a second-apron crew leaves no room for tangible upgrades by way of commerce.
Lillard’s time to shine
Buying and selling Jrue Vacation for Damian Lillard was supposed to increase Milwaukee’s championship window, not speed up the tip.
It was a troublesome transition final season after 11 seasons in Portland and dealing with a divorce together with a brand new residence weighed on him. Lillard averaged 24.3 factors a 12 months in the past, a lower of practically eight factors from the season earlier than. Granted, there’s much less stress on him to be the first scorer with Antetokounmpo round, nevertheless it was nonetheless a obtrusive drop-off.
In 22 video games to this point this season, Lillard has marginally upped his scoring to 25.7 per sport and his effectivity has improved. He’s all the time going to be somebody who could be trusted for late sport offense, and that’s wanted with Antetokounmpo’s free-throw woes making it a tough proposition to place the ball in his palms late.
Doc’s playoff woes
This may actually be a priority when going up towards the easiest within the East. Doc Rivers’ championship got here 17 years in the past and there have been loads of bones to select with the best way his groups have carried out within the post-season since. He has but to make the convention finals since.
Then there’s the historical past of blown 3-1 sequence leads as effectively, one thing three of his groups have finished.
In equity, Milwaukee’s gamers have had nothing however reward for the way by which Rivers has orchestrated this season’s turnaround so far. It’s price remembering, although, that within the 12-3 file over the previous 15 common season video games, eight of the wins have come towards sub-.500 groups. The 4 wins over plus-.500 groups embody a one-point win over Houston, a three-point win over Miami, an Atlanta crew that’s precisely .500, and an Orlando crew lacking each Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.
Verdict
As we noticed final season, profitable the NBA Cup is one factor, profitable within the playoffs fully one other. The Los Angeles Lakers appeared dominant throughout its In-Season Event run a 12 months in the past however had been dumped out of the playoffs within the first spherical in 5 video games.
Between the dearth of depth, league-average protection through the 12-3 stretch, and maybe making the most of a lighter schedule, there may be nonetheless loads of cause to imagine the Bucks are an excellent crew in need of competition standing fairly than true contenders at this level.
