Milwaukee Bucks Roundtable: Expectations for the year ahead

Q5. Following a seven-game defeat to the Celtics last year, and with all of the positive change that has occurred this summer, what are your predictions for the Bucks in terms of record, rank in the East, and potential postseason hopes?

JK: I see the Bucks finishing third in the East, behind Toronto, and Boston, with a record of 52-30. A first-round win is probable and I wouldn’t be surprised if they reached the conference finals. Anything past that seems like a little bit of a reach, but crazier things have happened.

TK: To hell with conservative takes. 57-25, second or third seed and making it to the NBA finals. We are talking about the man who made Jeff Teague an All-Star and now he finally has a real nuke to work with. It is within the realm of possibility that the Bucks could have multiple All-Stars this season. The biggest difference between the 13-14 Warriors and 14-15 Warriors was coaching. The same with the difference between the 15-16 Rockets and 16-17 Rockets.

AM: 52-30, third place in the East, and a real chance to get to the Conference Finals. More so than has been the case for the Bucks since 2001, the full range of positive outcomes are on the table for Milwaukee this season. Like with every team, health will be essential, but I see no reason why the Bucks couldn’t beat any team in the East over seven games.

RK: I may be just feeling the high of a new NBA season finally being upon us, but I have high hopes for this team. With a new system in place, it would be expected to see some growing pains early on, but it seems like this team has hit the ground running with still a lot of room to improve as the season goes on. My reasonable expectation for this season is 49 wins, the fourth seed in the East, and a trip to at least the second round. However, my somewhat crazy yet still firmly in the realm of possibility prediction is a 55-27 record, the second seed in the East, and a trip to the NBA Finals. Talent alone got the Bucks 44 wins last season, and adding Bud’s system and a better supporting cast around the big three should be worth about 11 wins, and I think Philly will drop off a bit and it will take a little while for the Raptors to figure everything out before they become dominant. As for the playoffs, the Bucks now have the best player in the East in Giannis Antetokounmpo, so that means that any playoff series is winnable.

IS: I’m expecting about 10 more wins than last year, which would mean going 54-28 and third in the East going by last year’s results. I expect that to hold — the Raptors and Celtics should win 60 games, Philly is overrated, Cleveland will drop way off, and nobody else in the East got significantly better over the summer. Postseason-wise, the Bucks should host and win their first round series. After that, the road to the Finals likely goes through the Raptors and Celtics, probably in that order. If they want to make the finals, postseason Giannis needs to play like an MVP, especially against Boston, who doesn’t have Kawhi to guard him.

BP: Apparently I have to be a Debbie Downer and predict that the Bucks will win only 52 games for a final record of 52-30. I think this will be good enough for third in the East, behind Boston and Toronto and slightly ahead of Philadelphia. Even if they finish fourth in the East, I think they should win their first playoff series and make it to the conference semifinals. After that, a competitive series with one of the top teams would be a rousing start to the Mike Budenholzer era.

JT: I still can’t shake the fence percher in me, so my predictions won’t look as lofty as some. Still, I’m going with 51 wins for the Bucks during the regular season, which slots them in as the third seed in the East to just edge by Philly. As far as their postseason hopes, I think they do win their first playoff series in what will be 18 years and I think they end up falling short of logging a trip to the Conference Finals.

But most importantly, we will learn to trust these Bucks again and that may be the biggest development in this already promising season. As the kids say, WATTBABA, which stands for What A Time To Be A Bucks Admirer.

RG: I think the Bucks are going to go 56-26, get the third seed behind the Celtics and Raptors, and make the Eastern Conference Finals. I think Budenholzer’s influence on the team will be one of the biggest additions in the NBA. His improvements and schemes are superior in all aspects on last seasons and with signing players that fit well into this new scheme I think the Bucks will exceed many expectations.