OPINION: It's a Mistake to Overlook the Milwaukee Bucks

NBA observers and oddsmakers are selling the Milwaukee Bucks short in their predictions for the 2024-25 season. Roster health, the X factor for every contender, is the only variable that could keep the Bucks from competing for an Eastern Conference title.

Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers greets forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) in the fourth quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at Fiserv Forum. / Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

MILWAUKEE — Everybody outside of Wisconsin appears to be writing off the Milwaukee Bucks and that is a mistake.

In the most recent projections for the 2024-25 NBA season, observers and oddsmakers are downgrading the Bucks:

• John Schuhmann, the advanced stats reporter for NBA.com, updated the offseason power rankings of every team in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks are fifth, behind the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, and Indiana Pacers.
• ESPN's staff recently predicted Milwaukee to finish fourth in the Eastern Conference.
• Las Vegas listed Milwaukee at +1300 to win the 2024-25 NBA Finals — currently the eighth-shortest odds behind the Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, 76ers, Knicks, Dallas Mavericks, and Minnesota Timberwolves.
• And HoopsHype added to the insults by ranking Khris Middleton as the 22nd-best small forward.

Throw in the fact that the Bucks won't be playing on Christmas Day for the first time since 2017 and the willful disregard of a team featuring Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, and Khris Middleton is just wrong.

Yes, the Bucks fired head coach Adrian Griffin at midseason last year, hired NBA staple Doc Rivers, and then staggered to the finish line, going 17-19 and losing a first-round playoff series for a second straight season.

Yes, the much-hyped union of Giannis and Lillard failed to deliver on championship expectations. But losing Antetokounmpo before the playoffs — imagine the Nuggets without Nikola Jokic or the Mavericks without Luka Doncic — made an early exit inevitable.

This season, the doubters will be mistaken in selling the Bucks short. Consider:

• The Bucks have the best win-percentage (.665%) in the entire NBA over the past five seasons, including that 2021 NBA championship.
• Before the late-season injury that derailed the Bucks' playoff chances, Antetokounmpo played 73 regular-season games and became the first player in NBA history to average at least 30 points while shooting 60% from the field.
• Lillard, who just turned 34 and is entering his 14th season, remains one of the NBA's elite scorer/playmakers and is spending his offseason working on stamina and resilience with American endurance athlete and former Navy SEAL David Goggins.
• As for Middleton, the often overlooked piece in Milwaukee's Big 3, he turned in his best postseason against the Pacers, averaging 24.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game on 48.2 percent shooting. If he can remain healthy, Milwaukee should remain a legitimate threat to make it out of the East.

The Bucks also were smart shoppers in free agency, spending less than $10 million on three proven complementary players.

Signing Gary Trent Jr. to a one-year, veteran minimum deal was one of the biggest heists of the summer. Trent Jr., a capable defender and one of the NBA's best three-point shooters, will start alongside Lillard.

Tauren Prince and Delon Wright can play multiple positions if the Bucks choose to play big or small.

In the end, health is the X factor for the Bucks, as it is for many contenders. If Antetokounmpo, Lillard and Middleton are available come the playoffs, the Bucks will be a handful for any of the powers that be.

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