Milwaukee Bucks
While the Rockets feature two former MVP’s, the Milwaukee Bucks have the pleasure of currently housing the reigning MVP – Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Last season proved to be the cliched tale of two stories. In the regular season, the Milwaukee Bucks were the dominant force in the NBA. Shattering the dreams of all in their wake, and playing some of the best basketball in the process.
The Bucks, by all accounts, were the favourites to win the title in 2018-19, even with the Warriors in the field. That’s how good they were. And then, out of nowhere, they were gone. Knocked out in the Eastern Conference Finals by the eventual champions.
Leading the series 2-0 over the Toronto Raptors, the Bucks head into the Scotiabank Arena looking to finish the job off and take one step closer to glory. Instead, they dropped the next four games and were left to wonder “what if?” for the next few months.
The good news is, the Bucks are still good, and Giannis – for the meantime – is still in the state of Wisconsin. The indifferent news is, we’re not actually sure if this Milwaukee Bucks team is any better.
First of all, they lost Malcolm Brogdon. Or to be precise, they let Malcolm Brogdon walk, declining to match an offer sheet from the Indiana Pacers. Replacing Brogdon with Wesley Matthews is okay, but the Bucks might regret their move come to the end of the season.
Everything hinges on Giannis, though. He’s the only star on the team – depending on how you feel about Khris Middleton – and the offense is built around his functionality, and putting shooters around him to maximise the space in which he can work.
It worked to great effect during the regular season and in the opening round of the playoffs, but the Raptors help defense proved to be too much and the Bucks role players couldn’t step up.
Either way, Milwaukee will be dangerous this season. There’s a reason they won 60 games last season, and while they might not reach that mark again, they’re still one of the best teams in the league under Mike Budenholzer.