Before the regular season stopped due to Covid-19, the Milwaukee Bucks had the best record and held the title of the best team in the league. We had the MVP of the league, who also won defensive player of the year, Giannis Antetokounmpo. Every one felt like this was his year, coming off back to back MVP seasons and leading his team to the number one spot 2 years in a row. No one expected the Bucks to get knocked out in the second round of playoffs but that’s the way it goes sometimes. What was the team’s downfall?
Although the Bucks were head and shoulders above everyone during the regular season, teams play completely different during the playoffs. The way the Bucks run their offense, it is built around Giannis. He is a beast inside the paint so almost every other player on the team is a three-and-D player. It gives him room to drive into the lane and get a bucket and if a defenders come to help he can kick it out to a shooter. This system worked great for the regular season but when playoffs started teams started to use more half court plays, setting off-ball screens, and moving players around while the bucks continued to use the same strategy.
The Bucks need to do two things in order to bring a championship to Milwaukee next season. First, bring in another star player. The Bucks need a better second option than Khris Middleton. He would make an amazing third option, but we need another star on our roster in order to make it to the finals. The second thing is to change up the offensive scheme. We need more half court sets and get our shooters open off the ball. Bringing in another star that could operate the pick-and-roll with Giannis in the half court would help a lot. Coach Budenholzer has shown that he can be one of the best coaches in the league but he does not show a lot of variety and it is made clear when the playoffs come around. If we added different types of sets, brought in a star to relieve the pressure off of Giannis, and add more variety to play calls, there’s no reason why the Bucks couldn’t win multiple championships over the next 10 years.
Hey Lukas,
First off, I have to say that I totally agree with you. I wanted to add that I think Eric Bledsoe is the problem when it comes to the playoffs. I feel like Bledsoe just stands there and doesn’t facilitate the offense like he should as a point guard. Giannis has to do as much as he does in the playoffs because there is not anyone else that drives it to the hoop. Bledsoe could fill that void with his athleticism around the basket. I feel like the Bucks can either bring in Victor Oladipo or trade Bledsoe for Jrue Holiday in order to improve for next season.
Oh man, the Bucks were so disappointing in the postseason. There is some news now that the Bucks are shopping Eric Bledsoe which I agree with. He’s a great defensive player but his offensive has just been disappointing, to say the least. I think that Khris Middleton could be the second star on the Bucks if he plays to his full potential and we also add something this offseason. Another thing would be to definitely change the offensive scheme when teams just set up a wall for Giannis. This is exactly what the Heat did against us and adjustments need to be made especially when the playoffs come around. Already for the early power rankings for next season, the Bucks are number 2 to the Lakers so they better look like the number 2 team in the league, otherwise, there will be many disappointed Bucks fans once again.
I’m a big Bucks fan. It sucks that we didn’t even make it to the conference finals. I think the stop during the season really hurt us.