*NEW ACQUISITION∂61 wins ∂Lose NBA Finals ∂Giannis will catch at least one alley-oop from big bro forward Thanasis.StartersFrom Brook Lopez to Trevon Duval
to Christian Wood, all 24 players
who suited up for Milwaukee last
season MADE AT LEAST ONE THREE-
POINTER. Mike Budenholzer won
Coach of the Year partially because he turned the
Bucks into the second-most fearsome long-range
shooting team in the league (after the Rockets).
Milwaukee hit 53.9% more treys than in 2017–18,
which helped spread the floor and allowed Giannis
Antetokounmpo to terrorize opposing defenses.
Milwaukee’s proficiency from behind the
arc lifted it to the top of the regular-season
standings, but it’s no lock to earn that spot
again. While the team’s three-point volume was
impressive, its percentage was a pedestrian 14th
in the NBA. Eric Bledsoe, Pat Connaughton
and George Hill can get buckets attacking close-
outs, but with Malcolm Brogdon now in Indiana,
those shaky-shooting guards will be in the
spotlight even more. —Joe Wilkinson1
TELLING NUMBER
ERIC
BLEDSOE
15.9 PPG; 5.5 APG;
4.6 RPG; 48.4 FG%PG
WESLEY
MATTHEWS*
12.2 PPG; 2.5 RPG;
40.0 FG%; 37.2 3FG%SG
KHRIS
MIDDLETON
18.3 PPG; 6.0 RPG;
4.3 APG; 44.1 FG%SFENEMY LINES
A rival scout weighs inGIANNIS’s pas sing w as
better. He was more
willing and definitely
more accurate. His
rebounding improved,
but part of that was
BROOK LOPEZ. A lot of guys
have career rebounding
years playing alongside
Lopez because all hedoes is block out....
Early last year Giannis
was playing more
like a big, then they
basically said, “F--- it,
let him handle more and
attack.” They ran a lot
of small-on-big pick-
and-rolls. GEORGE HILL
was good at it. He was
with LeBron, he knew
how to play that way....
KHRIS MIDDLETON was
consistent in his effortto defend. That team
can win with him as a
No. 2. Giannis is that
good. His gravitational
pull is immense. It’s
like the sun. Everything
tilts towards him
defensively.... I don’t
think losing Malcolm
Brogdon is a big hit.
He was great in the
playoffs, but he was
getting the fifth-best
defender most nights.Defensively he is a big
body and is smart, so
they do have to replace
that.... WES MATTHEWS
didn’t look great last
year, but it’s hard to
say when you play in
situations like Dallas
and New York.... KYLE
KORVER looked like he
was nearing the end.
Maybe he has a new
life playing for a coach
who believes in him....ERIC BLEDSOE is going to
have nights when you
wonder where he is.
They have a chance to
play for something big.
Does that matter to
him? His finishing was
at an extremely high
level last season. I’ll
be interested to see if
he plays with the same
effort. He cruises a lot.
And when he does, he’s
a liability.Projected Lineup
PAT
CONNAUGHTON
6.9 PPG; 4.2 RPG;
46.6 FG%; 33.0 3FG%SG
ERSAN
ILYASOVA
6.8 PPG; 4.5 RPG;
43.8 FG%; 36.3 3FG%PFBench
PF
GIANNIS
ANTETOKOUNMPO
27.7 PPG; 12.5 RPG;
5.9 APG; 57.8 FG%BROOK
LOPEZ
12.5 PPG; 4.9 RPG;
2.2 BPG; 36.5 3FG%CCrystal Ball: 71
GREG NELSON (MIDDLETON, ANTETOKOUNMPO)
Bucks
MILWAUKEE
2018 – 19 RECORD 60– 22 1st in Central
COACH MIKE BUDENHOLZER 2nd season with BucksTHE
EAST