Continuity didn’t reap rewards for the Milwaukee Bucks, but can change act as a greater catalyst for success heading into the 2018-19 season?
When the Milwaukee Bucks’ owners, general manager, head coach and players all assembled for media day interviews prior to last season, there was little doubt to the team’s buzzword or the central topic of discussion.
In short, continuity was supposed to be the key to driving the 2017-18 Bucks on to major improvement in a conference that was being advertised as wide open following an exodus of some key stars to the Western Conference.
That certainly didn’t work out for Milwaukee, but for as much as there’ll be plenty of continuity in terms of a wide open East with key stars having moved West, otherwise the focus this season will likely be on what’s changed.
More from Bucks News
- Bucks 2023-24 player profile: Can MarJon Beauchamp take a leap?
- Piecing together the Milwaukee Bucks’ dream starting 5 in 5 years
- Predicting Thanasis Antetokounmpo’s 2023-24 stats for the Bucks
- Grade the trade: Bucks land reputable backup guard in swap with Pacers
- New workout video should have Milwaukee Bucks fans excited
For better and more often for worse, Jason Kidd and Jabari Parker spent more than their fair share of time at the center of attention in the Bucks’ sphere in recent years, yet the departure of both the former head coach and second overall pick from 2014 offers a chance for exciting and necessary change.
The arrival of former Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer and his staff stands first and foremost among that, as questions of what would the Bucks look like with a sensible defensive scheme and any kind of coherent strategy offensively should finally be answered.
In spite of minimal cap flexibility and a lack of appealing contracts that could be easily offloaded in trades, the Bucks will also have to be pleased with the injection of talent, experience and depth that was achieved with the additions of Brook Lopez, Ersan Ilyasova and Pat Connaughton.
It remains to be seen if rookie Donte DiVincenzo will make any meaningful contributions, but Milwaukee could certainly use another mid-first round draft pick turning into a success story, something which they can’t claim since landing Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2013.
To further emphasize that change is the name of the game in Milwaukee this season, the very short move from the Bradley Center to the state-of-the-art Fiserv Forum will also see the Bucks’ players move into an arena suitable for a team with major ambitions in the not so distant future.
The superstar play and drawing power of Antetokounmpo has helped to drive a resurgence in interest and passion for the Bucks from across the state of Wisconsin, more than ably supported by great efforts from the organization themselves to engage with appeal to a wider base of fans.
The new arena acts as something of the final piece of that puzzle, and when curious Wisconsinites come to visit and sample the Fiserv Forum atmosphere, the hope will be that the Bucks can give them something to cheer about (and cause to return), and that the crowds can play their part in great moments yet to come for the franchise too.
Now the hope will be that all of these various factors can combine to help inspire the best season the team has had in close to two decades.
In theory, that should certainly be in play with a strengthened roster, dramatically improved coaching staff and a shiny new home capable of drawing raucous crowds, but as the Bucks learned in their year of continuity, things don’t always go according to plan.
If that season taught anyone anything about the current shape of the franchise, it was likely that the time for change had come. The next step will require embracing that change and using at as a springboard for something much better.