6. What are your expectations for the Bucks this season, and what are your final predictions for how their 2019-20 campaign will pan out?
DL: At a minimum, this team should make it at least as far as they did last season. The Eastern Conference, as a whole, has only gotten weaker since then, and even the best teams have a good deal of turnover on their roster that Milwaukee hasn’t had to deal with themselves. That gives them a distinct edge on everyone else in their conference.
This should be Milwaukee’s season to win it all. They have the arguable best player in the league on their team. They have a solid starting five around him. They also have several role players that provide different skills that compliment the identity they’ve built for themselves. This should be their season. We’ll see whether they can meet the task at hand!
BS: The Bucks should be a top-2 seed, I’m easy about which one as I don’t see any significant advantage for finishing 1st over 2nd, as Toronto showed last season. From there, I see Milwaukee as THE team to beat in the playoffs and we should make it to the Finals.
Ultimately, if we make the Finals, this season has to be seen as a success and from there, whatever happens happens. I firmly believe Giannis Antetokounmpo is signing his super-max extension this off season, regardless of the on court results, however making the Finals certainly won’t hurt our chances at scoring that prized signature from the Greek Freak.
RD: I think the Bucks will prove that last year was not just luck. The Bucks have a solid team that has players from top to bottom that can shoot and can handle the ball. I would love to see the Bucks improve their record by a few games as well as make it deep into the playoffs. I really believe the Bucks will make it to the finals. As with every Bucks fan, I do hope we win the NBA Finals and it feels great to be able to say that without being sarcastic or disappointed. I will be very happy with the progress if the Bucks can make it to the Finals and play their hearts out. I think that making the Finals is priority number one after last year’s ECF falter. I truly believe the Bucks are the team to Beat and that the MVP could very well repeat.
One interesting storyline I am interested in following is Giannis becoming a father and how it will affect his game. Last season Khris Middleton did seem to struggle slightly around the time his daughter was born, but at the same time there were players like Fred VanVleet who had a daughter born during the ECF and virtually made every shot he put up.
I stand by the famous Brandon Jennings comment which still lives strong for this organization, “Bucks in 6 always, that’s for the culture.”
LB: I can’t believe in my lifetime I am actually going to have the chance to say this and it’s not going to come off as completely insane.
I think anything less than a Finals appearance is a colossal disappointment. The boogeyman came, won his title, then left and went back West. The middle class in the east has pretty much stayed the same, maybe some marginal improvements, and the basement of the East…Woof. They should be able to put themselves in a prime position to hold home court throughout the playoffs. You have the MVP. You just paid a lot of people. If you don’t make the Finals with this group those voices trying to pull Giannis away only get louder. Khris, this is your chance to shut Bucks Twitter the hell up. Earn that money! Bled, this is your chance to shut me up, hit a jump shot in the playoffs! Giannis, you just be your beautiful self baby, maybe hit a FT or two! I DON’T ASK FOR MUCH, JUST WIN THE WHOLE DAMN THING.
BO: I expect the Bucks to make the Finals. Like Logan said, anything less is a colossal disappointment. We’ve already endured too much disappointment as Bucks fans, so we’re due!
With that being said, this is the year they finally get it done. Come mid to late June, we will be watching Giannis hoist that Larry O’Brien trophy in one hand, and Finals MVP in the other. I will surely be bawling my eyes out with more joy than I’ve ever felt in my life, and Milwaukee will be crowned champions for the first time since 1971. Let’s do this, Bucks fans.
JC: I have high expectations for this Milwaukee Bucks team. If everything goes according to plan with no devastating injuries, the Bucks have all the tools to not only make the NBA finals but also win it. We have arguably the most dominant player in the NBA, and the reigning MVP in Giannis, and a really stellar supporting cast behind him. The coaching staff with Coach Bud and Darvin Ham is also a terrific tandem as well. Coach Budenholzer coming off a Coach of the Year season, and Ham was being looked at as a head coach by some teams. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Bucks slightly increase their win total of 60 from last season, but I also expect some load management days from Giannis, Middleton and others. I’m expecting that this is finally once again the year the Bucks hoist up the Larry O’Brien!
JT: As I alluded to before, I think the Bucks will come up short in tallying another 60-win season and finish with a 58-24 record. Hopefully, that will be good for the top seed in the East and if not, that makes their chances of coming out of the conference harder than it was last season. But I believe that won’t deter them from reaching the NBA Finals for the first time in nearly five decades. Should they go against a team like the Clippers, I think it’s anyone’s guess who takes home the title at that point (translation: I have no clue if the Bucks win the title this year).
There’s a lot of basketball to be played until we get to that point in the season and hopefully, the Bucks will maintain their status as a title contender until then.
AM: Again, following up Jordan likely makes these picks bolder than I’ll care for come June, but here we go: 62-20, No. 1 seed, winners in seven over the 76ers in May, winners in six over the Lakers in June. I’ll see you all at the parade.
We’ll be back with regular roundtables throughout the season!