When the Milwaukee Bucks landed Damian Lillard in a blockbuster trade with the Portland Trail Blazers prior to last NBA season, many had them pegged as Eastern Conference favorites.
Needless to say, things did not pan out that way for the Bucks.
Milwaukee won just 49 games and was then eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in first round of the playoffs. Yes, Giannis Antetokounmpo missed the entire series and Lillard was also sidelined for part of it with an injury of his own, but it’s not like the Bucks lit it up during the regular season.
But can Milwaukee bounce back next season?
Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus recently wrote a piece where he outlined each title contender’s biggest concern heading into the 2024-25 NBA campaign, and for the Bucks, Pincus’ worry was depth.
“Even landing three solid players on minimum contracts (Gary Trent Jr., Taurean Prince and Delon Wright), the Bucks don’t have the depth,” Pincus wrote.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Milwaukee Bucks Updates
Pincus also specified Khris Middleton’s decline plus how much Milwaukee misses Jrue Holiday, who the Bucks traded in the Lillard deal last season (the fact that he ended up going to the Boston Celtics afterward served as a double whammy for Milwaukee).
Will the Milwaukee Bucks have a resurgence next season?
The Bucks still boast one of the league’s best players in Antetokounmpo, and between him, Middleton and Brook Lopez, much of the core from Milwaukee’s 2021 championship is still there.
But again, the loss of Holiday has been devastating, and Antetokounmpo has quietly been developing a reputation for being injury prone. Plus, Lillard is in his mid 30s and may be on the decline.
It doesn’t help matters that the Celtics still reign supreme in the Eastern Conference, and teams like the New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers and even the Pacers should be improved next season.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Milwaukee Bucks Updates
It would be silly to count out the Milwaukee Bucks. This team can still be dangerous. However, their lack of a truly reliable bench and the concerns over their aging starting lineup could end up seriously limiting their ceiling.
We’ll see if Antetokounmpo can work some more magic come the fall.
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