The National Basketball Association is just under three weeks away, and it is once again time to preview every NBA franchise. I will be covering the teams in the Eastern Conference and my colleague, Joel Beatton, will feature teams in the Western Conference. Today we are featuring the Milwaukee Bucks.
Key Acquisitions
The most notable new Milwaukee Buck is point guard Damian Lillard. They acquired the veteran point guard in a blockbuster deal with the Portland Trail Blazers and Phoenix Suns on September 27. in 2022-23, Lillard averaged 32.2 points per game, 7.3 assists per game, and 4.8 rebounds per game. He had a field goal percentage of .463, three-point percentage of .371, and free throw percentage of .914.
The Bucks signed two key players in free agency during the offseason. On July 6, they signed shooting guard Malik Beasley to a one-year deal worth $2.7 million, and on October 2, they signed point guard Cameron Payne to a one-year deal worth $2.9 million.
Beasley, a native of Atlanta, Georgia, is joining his fifth National Basketball Association franchise. He has previously played for the Denver Nuggets (2016 to 2020), the Minnesota Timberwolves (2020 to 2022), and the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers (2022 to 2023). In 2022-23, Beasley averaged 12.7 points per game, 3.5 rebounds per game, and 1.5 assists per game, with a field goal percentage of .395, three point percentage of .357, and a free throw percentage of .769.
Payne, a native of Memphis, Tennessee, is also joining his fifth NBA franchise. He has previously played for the Oklahoma City Thunder (2015 to 2017), the Chicago Bulls (2017 to 2019), the Cleveland Cavaliers (2019), and the Phoenix Suns (2019 to 2023). In 2022-23, Payne averaged 10.3 points per game, 4.5 assists per game, 2.2 rebounds per game, a field goal percentage of .415, three-point percentage of .368, and a free throw percentage of .766.
In addition to acquiring two new players, the Bucks have a new head coach in Adrian Griffin of Wichita, Kansas. Griffin had been an assistant coach with the Bucks, Chicago Bulls, Orlando Magic, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Toronto Raptors. He takes over from Mike Budenholzer, who was fired on May 4.
Fantasy Star
The Bucks’ big man, Giannis Antetokounmpo of Athens, Greece, is one of the most powerful players in the NBA. He is second in fantasy among power forwards (only behind Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics) and third among centers (only behind Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets and Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers). In 2022-23, Antetokounmpo, averaged 31.1 points per game, 11.8 rebounds per game, and 5.7 assists per game. He had a field goal percentage of .553, three-point percentage of .275, and a free throw percentage of .645.
Predicted Finish
The Bucks were the best team in the regular season last year at 58 wins and 24 losses, and then were stunned in the first round of the playoffs by the Miami Heat. There are high expectations with the Bucks this season with Antetokounmpo having two new point guards to dish him the ball, and a new shooting guard and coach to guide the Bucks. The NBA Finals are in sight. The Bucks are the best in the Central, and maybe the East. It is the playoffs where Milwaukee needs to do damage in order for their season to be properly evaluated.
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