Milwaukee Bucks: Can added experience come with added production?
The Milwaukee Bucks made a number of veteran-laden additions this offseason, but can their collective experience come with plenty of production as well?
We’re still in the dog days of the NBA offseason, but there’s light at end of the tunnel when it comes to waiting for the start of the Milwaukee Bucks’ 2019-20 campaign.
After leading the league with 60 wins and stunningly falling to the eventual NBA champions, the Toronto Raptors, in last season’s Eastern Conference Finals, the Bucks made their move and stand as one of the several contending teams eyeing next year’s NBA title.
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The front office, helmed by general manager Jon Horst, were able to retain most of the big, consequential pieces that were heading toward free agency and made the executive decision to part ways with 50-40-90 guard Malcolm Brogdon, who joined the Indiana Pacers in a sign-and-trade deal.
In place of Brogdon, as well as an effort to bolster the team’s depth, which stood as a strength of theirs throughout the 2018-19 year, the Bucks made a string of veteran additions that gives them a clear, experienced presence on their roster between the pickups of Kyle Korver, Robin Lopez and Wesley Matthews.
That goes along with a foundation of integral starters that are obviously one year older and accrued some much needed knowledge in going through what was a deep playoff run, along with retaining the services of veteran guard George Hill, who they acquired midway through their season last year.
All of those developments and transactions have made the Bucks not only one of the deepest teams, but the most experienced squad in the league, based on the average age of their roster.
Thread: Here's a look at player ages for each team based on current roster listings on https://t.co/Av37AxJabs. The Hawks, Bulls, and Suns are on the younger end of the spectrum, while the Bucks, Rockets, and Lakers are on the more seasoned side. pic.twitter.com/JKvyDYWUqs
— Positive Residual (@presidual) August 23, 2019
Of course, that comes without knowing how the rotation will look over the course of the season, but it’s definitely a stark contrast to the young Bucks teams that fans were accustomed to seeing just only a couple of years ago.
While the likes of Korver, Lopez and Matthews don’t possess a championship pedigree, respectively, they all have gone through deep playoff runs over their various stints and are familiar with the pressure and the weight that comes at that time of year, just as the team’s holdovers following their run last season will be.
However, in light of adding a few sage veterans to their roster, the big question moving forward is whether they can get their various additions to make consistent, positive contributions throughout a critical season with real championship aspirations in sight. There’s no question that each one of Korver, Lopez and Matthews can provide meaningful contributions in far more limited roles than they’ve been accustomed to filling recently in their careers, Matthews especially.
Yet each one comes with their own host of questions in the wake of joining the Bucks this offseason.
Lopez must adjust to a spaced out system far beyond his role playing center ways after being stuck in rebuilding situations over the last few years. Matthews, for reasons beyond his control due to his Achilles’ injury four-plus years and ago, isn’t the same player as he once was and his defensive services will be greatly needed on the wing. Can Korver fight off father time for another year and regain some of his three-point firepower after reuniting with reigning NBA Coach of the Year, Mike Budenholzer?
Again, these questions are only scratching the surface in what’s such a pivotal campaign for the Bucks all around.
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Adding experienced, level-headed voices into the locker room is vital for maintaining the kind of culture the Bucks have established under Budenholzer and co. But with that must come positive contributions and time will only tell if the key role playing additions the Bucks have made on paper this offseason can match their impact on and off the court.