Unlike other NBA teams, the Milwaukee Bucks didn’t really make a big splash during the offseason this year. Even if that’s the case, the Giannis Antetokounmpo-led squad just got better for the upcoming 2024-25 campaign.
The Bucks entered the 2023-24 season with high expectations. Led by Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee poised to make another deep postseason run, especially after getting All-Star guard Damian Lillard.
This created a formidable duo with the Greek Freak, but the team struggled to find consistency early on. Just as 2024 started, the Bucks surprisingly fired Griffin, despite having the second-best record in the NBA at the time. They quickly hired Doc Rivers as the new head coach.
Despite clinching a playoff berth, Milwaukee faced more adversity when Antetokounmpo suffered a calf injury late in the regular season. This left the team shorthanded for their first-round matchup against the Indiana Pacers. Lillard also missed playoff games due to injury, and the Bucks were ultimately upset by the Pacers in six games, suffering a first-round elimination for the second straight year.
The Bucks’ tumultuous season included a coaching change, a major trade acquisition, and key injuries that derailed their playoff run. They’ll look to regroup and bounce back stronger in the 2024-25 campaign.
Even though Malik Beasley and Patrick Beverley left the team, this season has been a good one for Milwaukee in an under-the-radar way. In an article by Bleacher Report’s NBA staff, the Bucks were deemed to have become better ahead of the upcoming campaign.
“Most of the Milwaukee Bucks’ 2023-24 season was punctuated by disappointment. They underachieved relative to expectations—both internal and external. Yet, for all the hullabaloo over whether they should bust up the core, this team is well positioned to demonstrably improve.
Keeping the same coach for the entire season will go a long way by itself. The Giannis Antetokounmpo-Damian Lillard dynamic will get better. And if it doesn’t, Lillard still has room for a more convincing campaign.
Age-34 seasons are not typically conducive to improvement. But the learning curve, both on and off the court, shouldn’t be as steep. More basically, Damian Lillard, of all people, isn’t going to can under 33 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes again.
Missed time is now part and parcel of the Khris Middleton experience. But he’s due for a 60-plus-game season. And for as much as they underachieved last season, the Bucks still took care of business with their best dudes on the court. Milwaukee outscored opponents by 16.3 points per 100 possessions when Antetokounmpo, Lillard, Middleton and Brook Lopez all shared the court,” the Bleacher Report article stated.
As it stands, continuity is the key factor that helped the Bucks improve. The addition of Gary Trent Jr. and Delon Wright also made their offense more potent, which can only be good against other contenders in the league.