Milwaukee Bucks links for your perusal on September 9th, 2024
Does it all really boil down to a single season? For Damian Lillard and the Milwaukee Bucks, the answer may be yes.
We can be honest about last year: relative to expectations, it was a disappointment. That seems irresponsible to say given the still-great averages of 24.3 points (.424/.354/.920), 7.0 assists, and 4.4 rebounds, but a trade of a player for his magnitude sets the bar almost impossibly high. A shame that neither he nor his team ever really got close to said bar.
An optimistic and supportive reading of the situation says that no player, no matter how skilled, would have overcome the organizational dysfunction that plagued almost the entire campaign. Pair that with personal difficulties and the rabid supporter could even spin last year as something of a success. After all, we did see the team stumble upon Lillard-Giannis Antetokounmpo two-man sets with about a month to go before the playoffs. That means something, right?
If last year was a space for understanding and forgiveness, I have a feeling this one will be decidedly less so. Fair or otherwise, expectations for Lillard in particular will be sky-high. A sense that he’ll have been given “enough space/time” to work out his problems on the home front combined with now having had an entire offseason to actually get in shape and figure out how to fit with Giannis will reduce wiggle room for disappointment to nil. To add to the urgency, there is the cold reality that smaller guards age out of relevance with alarming rapidity the further they march into their 30s. How many more goes does Lillard have at something akin to an athletic peak? This season and next, maybe?
I suppose, however, should he fail to live up to expectations, there’s always AJ Johnson. Cold comfort in a cold world driven by results and results alone. Best of luck to Dame and the team.
Let’s roundup!
Milwaukee Bucks Links
Biggest question facing every NBA Central Division team: Can Bucks’ defense step up? What’s next for Pacers? (CBS Sports)
If I spend more than 30 seconds thinking about it, I get the sinking feeling that the defensive woes of a season ago are here to stay more likely than not. Conceptually, placing Brook Lopez back in the zone-drop will correct for base mistakes made by the previous coaching staff. But Damian Lillard represents such a downgrade on the perimeter versus the two guys who came before him that the ceiling for the team’s overall DRTG could be… bang average? At best? I’ll reserve judgment until we actually see things with Gary Trent Jr. in the mix, but I will enter the season with extremely lowered expectations given track record and the reality of time/age taking its toll.
League Pass Watch Guide: 1st half of 2024-25 season (NBA.com)
Not one but TWO Bucks games make the cut for Brian Martin which is a 200% increase over the one selected a few weeks ago on the very same site. The showdown with the Pacers on December 31st is a worthy pick if only because of the possible continuation of last year’s drama. Less logical to me is selecting a January 25th road game against the LA Clippers because… Damian Lillard and James Harden score a lot of points? OK. We’ll take it.
On N.B.A. Player Podcasts, There’s the Star and Then the Other Guy (New York Times)
This one may be behind a login wall for some, but this is a personal hobby horse for your humble writer as a dynamo podcast host/producer himself. Having tried to listen to numerous player podcasts over the years I’ve come to accept that the medium is simply not for me. Little of real interest is said for obvious reasons, and even worse a ton of these programs have found it necessary to shoehorn in the random non-celebrity friend/producer into an on-camera and on-mic role. Patrick Beverley talking about how underrated he is and all his exploits is a chore; Patrick Beverley talking about it to his friend “Rone,” whose reactions vary from “wow, that’s crazy” to “no way,” is an assault on adult sensibilities.
Theoretical Bucks Lineup of the Week
Free Agent Bonanza
Delon Wright / Gary Trent Jr. / Taurean Prince / Bobby Portis / Brook Lopez
- Use Case: Doc Rivers feels an unquenchable thirst to see some of His Guys on the court, you’re trying to avoid playing young players at all costs, remaining effective sans-Big Three
- Strengths: Angering anybody watching, Bobby Portis getting shots up, baseline basketball skill competence
- Weaknesses: Rebounding, no clue how the defense will work here, Bobby Portis getting shots up, unlikely to be a fast break threat
Throughout the course of a long season there will inevitably be times where the Bucks will be down a few core pieces. Assuming bench players benefit from reduced wear and tear and will therefore be more available than their star starting counterparts, they’ll be the first option for filling lineup gaps. Enter, the free agent frenzy.
While it has been rare for Bucks coaches to run lineups without any member of whatever Big Three happen to be on hand (outside blowout lineups) there do remain plenty of cases where we see random lineups that rely on role guys taking a leading spot here or there. This group could be one of those cases featuring all three of Milwaukee’s offseason acquisitions leavened by the presence of Bobby Portis and Brook Lopez to unite old and new.
The first strength I’ve listed is the obvious one: If the team is in competitive minutes and has no true star on the floor, people will inevitably and somewhat understandably be aggravated. This happens anytime one of these coach specials gets rolled out on the floor. It will also be great for letting Bobby Portis do Bobby Portis things on offense. Even if the team instruction isn’t to feed him the ball, you just know he’s going to have the stickiest of hands should he end up gaining possession (almost inevitable with basic ball movement as the lineup probes the opposing defense). Inevitably, it will not matter whether it makes sense in the moment: Bobby will be isolating and taking a shot a huge percentage of these possessions. If you’re a Bobby Believer, this is great news. If you aren’t… well, I have it listed as a weakness for a reason, too.
What I feel good about with this edition of the non-star functional lineup is that all five players are well-rounded enough to not completely blow the game wide-open through stupid mistakes (outside of shot selection). Dribbling should be fine, passing decent, movement a component of their approach, etc. The defense will be a wild ride and Bobby will be the only real rebounder on the court, but he likes it that way anyhow.
I’ll be shocked if we don’t see a variation on this in game one of the regular season.
The Social Media Section
My guy can’t take a photo to save his life, but it looks like he’s having a great honeymoon
Serge challenging Al Horford for professional basketball immortality
Well said, even if the relation to the photo isn’t clear to me
Thanasis rehab and comeback tour in 2025–2026 SZN
The AJ Green-AJ Johnson connect in this video has me feeling some sort of way
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Deer Diaries (A Milwaukee Bucks Podcast!)’s Season Preview Series of interviews continues this week with the following appearances:
- Morgan Ross — Brew Hoop site editor
- Jackson Gross — Brew Hoop contributor
I’ve really enjoyed all the discussions I’ve had so far (including one with Locked on Bucks and managing editor emeritus Mitchell Maurer) and think you’ll enjoy the next two as well. From now until the week prior to the regular season opener we plan on posting two interviews a week as part of the series with all the Brew Hoop staffers set to make an appearance and a few more guests from elsewhere!
Happy Monday!