The Buck Stops Here Roundtable #6: Extensions, Injuries and Trades

The Westgate Superbook in Las Vegas released its 2016-17 season over/under win totals with the Bucks originally coming at 39.5 wins before the line dropped to 37.5 wins after news of Khris Middleton’s injury. Are you over or under and what is your predicted record for Milwaukee this season? Are the playoffs still possible, and what would it take from Giannis, Jabari and co?

JH: Dropping just two wins is pretty disrespectful to Middleton. His impact on this team has been huge in his tenure in Milwaukee and, as we all know, that impact is going to be next to impossible to replace.

I think the Bucks will be under that win total. I expect the team to win about 35 games this year. But I would love to be wrong, have the team win 40+ games and snag a low playoff seed!

RK: I’ll be optimistic and take the over at around 40 wins. I know that Khris Middleton will be impossible to replace, but I think this could be the year that Giannis and Jabari make the leap in to the realm of the superstars. I could also be totally wrong and the Bucks have a dumpster fire of a season, finding themselves having a top-three pick in next year’s draft.

AM: I’m taking the under. 30-35 seems most likely to me at present, although I can see a scenario where it turns out dramatically better and the over comes into play.

Any chance of the over relies on Giannis and Jabari breaking out and reaching new heights, that’s possible, but for everything to go right for the Bucks, they need to be firing from the beginning of the year. If they start the season well, the Bucks could really surprise people from there, but I’m of the opinion that without Middleton this team wouldn’t be able to bounce back from a slow start.

JT: If I were a betting man, I would take the under. But I’m not a betting man and I would still take the under.

I’m still acclimating to what the team’s rotation looks like without Middleton, but I would probably pencil in 31-36 wins for the Bucks right now. However, with players like Giannis and Jabari at the helm, it’s not crazy to think they take a big leap and overcome Middleton’s absence. On the other hand, the Bucks are now relying on many more other factors in order for that to happen. At this point in time, the playoffs are a possibility but boy, do a lot of things have to break the Bucks’ way to make that a reality.

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TW: I don’t like to get too adventurous with my predictions, so it will come as little surprise that I’m taking the under. Initially I was right on the line at 38-40 wins, but the loss of Middleton for the majority of the season has bumped me well under the adjusted total to 33-35 wins. Unless Giannis and Jabari take another huge leap forward and can consistently play at an All-Star level every night, I just can’t see the Bucks being above .500 and in the playoff race next season.