Let’s not jump around what everyone is thinking of. Losing to an 8th seed as a number 1 seed is something that has only occurred 6 times in National Basketball Association history. The first time this happened was when the Seattle Supersonics lost to the Denver Nuggets. Fast forward nearly 20 years later the Milwaukee Bucks had made history once again. After an all around devastating and rigorous 2022-2023 end of the season, the Milwaukee Bucks have a ton of room for improvement as an organization and as a team. The Bucks entered the playoffs with the number 1 seed in the Eastern Conference finishing 58-24, which also gave them the best regular season record in the NBA. The Miami Heat were a loss away in the Play-in Tournament from not even making the playoffs. Not only did the Heat beat the Bucks in the first round, they won the series 3-1. The only good takeaway from this embarrassing loss was that the Miami Heat would end up going to the NBA Finals where they lost to the reigning champion Denver Nuggets.
2023-2024 Season Predictions: (50-32 record; 2nd Place in Conference; 1st Place in Division)
With a two time MVP and arguably the best player in the NBA in Giannis Antetokounmpo, your chances of becoming an NBA champion is always a possibility. The Milwaukee Bucks won the NBA Finals as the 3rd seed in the 2020-2021 season bringing the crown back to the city of Milwaukee. This was the first title the Bucks won since 1971 (40 years). In the 2021-2022 season the Bucks went into the playoffs as a 3rd seed again where they ended up losing in the conference finals to the Boston Celtics. The Golden State Warriors would end up defeating them to become 2021-2022 champions. As I’ve stated previously the Bucks 2022-2023 campaign was very unsuccessful and doesn’t need to be restated again. With a lot to prove the Bucks will come into the season feisty and eager to make up for last year. My prediction is that the Bucks will finish 2nd place to the Boston Celtics in the conference, making them a 2nd seed in the playoffs. In the division the Bucks will be the clear-cut 1st place team with the only team giving them a run for there money is the Cleveland Cavaliers being run by Donavan Mitchell and Darius Garland. This team can only go as far as Giannis and the “Big 3” can take them. The “Big 3” consists of Giannis Antetokounmpo, newly found Damian Lillard, and Khris Middleton. The Bucks are bringing back most of the same team as last season so anything is possible for them. Losing Jrue Holiday in a trade that sent him to the Boston Celtics hurts. Jrue Holiday has been one of the biggest pieces in the overall structure of the Milwaukee Bucks, and now seeing him on one of the Bucks rivals is going to be a hard pill to swallow. In the mints of it all, the Bucks landed hall of fame guard Damian Lillard who will bring a scoring presence like we’ve never seen before. NBA champion head coach and former coach of the year Mike Budenholzer was fired from the Bucks by GM Jon Horst after the disappointing end of the season. In my opinion as a fan I was very on the fence with this decision. Budenholzer brought the first championship back to the city in 40 years and has kept the Milwaukee Bucks as a top seed in the east for half a decade now. General Manager Jon Horst seems to have an idea of what he is doing bringing in a new candidate in former player Adrian Griffin. Adrian Griffin will be more of a players coach which is something that I think the team has needed for the past couple years. It will be interesting to see what different Adrian Griffin can bring to this team.
The Milwaukee Bucks only had 1 draft pick in the 2023 NBA draft in the second round where they selected Chris Livingston with the 58th pick out of Kentucky. Livingston is a 6-6 220 pound power forward who spent one season with the Kentucky Wildcats. Livingston averaged 6.3 points and 4.2 rebounds a game. Livingston is far from a lottery pick but he has a high upside for a 58th pick. The Bucks also got rights from the Orlando Magic where they got Andre Jackson Jr with the 36th pick out of UConn. Jackson is a 6-6 210 pound point guard. He averaged 6.7 points, 6.2 rebounds a game, and 4.7 assists a game. Jackson is a very lengthy point guard with high upside as the Bucks aren’t very deep in depth at the point guard position.
2023-2024 Roster Predictions/Updates
Giannis Antetokounmpo
The star player of the Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo will lead off the roster list to begin. Behind all the accolades is an angry Giannis coming off another one of his great seasons as an NBA player. The anger comes from the Bucks getting dropped out of the playoffs last year by the Miami Heat. Giannis was drafted in the 2013 season so this will be his 10th season as an NBA player. Last year’s stats from Giannis included 31.1 PPG, 11.8 rebounds per game, and 5.7 assists per game. This was Giannis’s highest scoring year throughout his NBA career and the way his game keeps improving I don’t see a way he slows down. Giannis is in his prime at 28 years old and has one of the best teams he has had as a Buck around him. In his 10th season I see Giannis’s stats around the same as the previous season besides I think his points per game will increase up to 32 and will go back to his MVP season rebound stats with 13.5. Giannis Antetokounmpo will without a doubt be a top 3 favorite to win the Most Valuable Player (MVP), and could definitely be the year he wins his 3rd MVP. Giannis will also be in the running for Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) which he has successfully done before. Expect great things again outta the 2x MVP for the 2023-2024 season.
Khris Middleton
The sidekick of Giannis Antetokounmpo is Khris Middleton. Middleton is the robin to Giannis’s batman and everyone is fine with it. Khris Middleton is a crafty veteran who is a high volume mid range shooter who can both get to the basket and get behind the three point line and shoot it. Khris Middleton is a 3x all star while playing for the Bucks and has one a championship alongside Giannis. Khris Middleton only played 33 games last year due to injury. In those 33 games Middleton scored 15.1 point per game, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game. With Khris coming back healthy for next season don’t be shocked to see Middleton return to all-star form. I project Middleton to average 18.5 points per game, 6 rebounds per game, and 4.5 assists per game.
Brook Lopez
The Brookylyn/New Jersey Nets all time leading scorer will continue to be a key piece to this Milwaukee Bucks team. Lopez has been the starting center for the Bucks for many years now and will proceed with that role. Brook Lopez has grown his game astronomically since he joined the Milwaukee Bucks back in the 2019-2019 season. Lopez is now a relatively high volume 3 point shooter (37%) along with his presence down low. Lopez is now 34 and will end the 2023-2024 season at the age of 35. Brook played 78 games last year and averaged 15.9 points per game, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game. With the addition of the new superstar we have yet to talk about, expect Lopez’s stats to drop a little with his usage going down. Expect around 12-13 points per game, 6 rebounds per game, and 1 assist per game. Lopez’s ability to stretch the floor at 7’0 is a huge thing for these Milwaukee Bucks.
Pat Connaughton
Notre Dame legend and one of the Bucks key pieces in Pat Connaghton will return for his 6th year as a part of the Bucks organization. Pat averaged 7.6 points per game last year, along with 4.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. With the loss of Grayson Allen over the offseason there is a starting role open at the shooting guard position for the Milwaukee Bucks. Pat Connaughton is a reliable 3 point shooter with the ability to get to the rim. Him or the next play I have yet to mention will most likely fill that role in the starting position next year. Expect Pat’s stats to increase to 10 points per game, 5 rebounds per game, and 3 assists per game.
Malik Beasley
The newly acquired member of the Los Angeles Lakers will have a major role on this team for the 2023-2024 season. Malik Beasley is someone who can step onto the court and instantly make a big impact for the team. Last year Beasley only played in 26 games as result of an ongoing injury he sustained. In those 26 games Beasley averaged 11.1 points per game, 3.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. Beasley will be in contention with Pat Connaghton for the starting position at the shooting guard position. With Beasley being a good 3 point shooter expect him to increase his attempts with Giannis driving and kicking to him. I expect Malik Beasley’s numbers to stay relatively the same as the previous season.
Bobby Portis
‘The Mayor of Milwaukee’ will return for another season with the Bucks. Bobby Portis has been the biggest role player for the Bucks the past couple of years and don’t expect anything to change. Portis played with Team USA over the summer for the first time in his career. Bobby Portis will not be a starter for the Bucks as he is a key 6th man but his numbers from last year don’t seem that way. In the 2022-2023 season Portis averaged 14.1 points per game, 9.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. Expect Bobby to be in contention for 6th man of the year again for the 2023-2024 season. I predict Portis to average 15 points per game, 8.5 rebounds and 2 assists per game.
Jae Crowder
Returning for his second season as a Milwaukee Buck, Jae Crowder is just getting started. Crowder is one player the Bucks have a lot of familiarity with as he played on the finals team with the Phoenix Suns back in 2021 when they were defeated by the Bucks. Crowder played a big role on that team and is expected to have a big role with the Bucks as well. Crowder only participated in 18 games last year where he started in 3 of those games. In those 18 games he averaged 6.9 points per game, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. For the 2023-2024 season expect Crowder to average 9 points per game, 4-5 rebounds a game, and 1.5 assists per game.
Thanasis Antetokounmpo
‘Thanasty’ is back with his brother again for another season. Thanasis Antetokounmpo is the older brother of Giannis Antetokounmpo and his impact has been seen off the court for the Bucks. Thanasis plays a big role in keeping his little brother Giannis in the right mind space during games. He does this by encouraging and pushing him throughout the game. Thanasis played in 37 games last season where he averaged 1.4 points per game, 1.2 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. As you can tell by the statline, Thanasis’s role isn’t too much involved with his play on the court. Thanasis knows his role on this team and plays it perfectly. Thanasis is one of the biggest weapons on this team without having to step on the court. He is loved by his team and Bucks fans. In 2023-2024 expect Thanasis to average around the same statline as his usage will most likely stay where it was last season.
MarJon Beauchamp
This will be the second season of his young NBA career for MarJon Beauchamp. Beauchamp is only 22 years old and has a lot of time to develop. In his first season we saw flashes of Beauchamp that are very promising for Bucks fans. Beauchamp played 52 games in the 2022-2023 season while starting 11 of those. He averaged 5.1 points per game, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.7 assists per game. With only playing 13.5 minutes a game expect that number to jump closer to 20 minutes a game. In his second season I project Beauchamp to average 9 points per game, 3.5 rebounds, and 2 assists per game. Can’t wait to see what the young man has to offer for the upcoming season.
A.J. Green
Returning for his second season in the NBA and second season with the Milwaukee Bucks, expect a bigger impact out of sharpshooter A.J. Green. In his rookie season, Green played in 35 games while starting just 1. In those 35 games Green averaged 4.4 points per game, 1.3 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. We haven’ seen much out of the 24 year old from the University of Northern Iowa, but this year we should see an increase in production from last season. Expect Green to average around 6.5 points per game, 2 rebounds and 2 assists per game.
Robin Lopez
Brother of Bucks starting Center Brook Lopez, comes Robin Lopez. Robin Lopez is not as talented as his brother, but his 15 years of NBA experience shows that he is a very serviceable big man in modern day NBA. During the 2019-2020 season Robin was signed from the Bucks and played a season with the team. The year after he was released from the Bucks and signed with the Washington Wizards. Since the 2019-2020 season with the Bucks he also has played for the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers. Last season he played for the Cavaliers and averaged 3 points per game, 1.4 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. For the 2023-2024 season I would expect Robin to average similar statistics as his role on the team doesn’t include much playing time. Lopez will be the 3rd string center for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Cam Payne
Welcome to Milwaukee Cam Payne! The recently added member of the Bucks will come and instantly make a big impact for this team. Payne will be the second string point guard behind the biggest trade of all the off-season who has yet to be named. Payne was just traded from the Phoenix Suns to the Bucks where a backup point guard was becoming an issue that needed to be dealt with in Milwaukee. Payne averaged 10.3 points per game, 2.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists a game in the 2022-2023 NBA season. This year, expect Payne to average 12 points per game, 1.5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game. This is a huge pickup for the Milwaukee Bucks and a great role for Cam Payne to jump into.
Damian Lillard
Uh oh National Basketball Association. Arguably one of the biggest trades in the past decade occurred over this offseason. The 11th year All-NBA player is now a member of the Milwaukee Bucks. Dame Dolla or Damian Lillard is now a member of the Milwaukee Bucks. Damian Lillard is a 7x all star who has spent the past 11 seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers. Damian Lillard has been one of the best players in the league for almost a decade and has shown no signs of slowing down. My prediction is that Dame will average 26.5 points per game, 6.3 assists and 3 rebounds per game in the 2023-2024 season.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Milwaukee Bucks are in win now mode and know that this team isn’t meant for the long run. The structure of this group of players is something that won’t be around for too much longer as players like Khris Middleton, Damian Lillard, and Brook Lopez all start heading towards the late stages of there NBA careers. With Giannis and Dame in the backcourt there is no limits where this team can end up, and needing up in a championship is a real possibility Bucks fans! Let’s go Bucks!
West Coast Hoops 