Standing as one of the oldest and most experienced teams in the league, the Milwaukee Bucks will be challenged with trying to get back into their once-established rhythm.
There is some light shining at the end of the proverbial tunnel for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Discussions continue to ramp up in regard to the NBA returning to finish out the incomplete 2019-20 season, in which the Bucks stand atop of the league with a 53-12 record. A dream season that once looked to be over is now showing signs of life, even as many crucial factors and components have to be determined in the coming weeks.
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As Bucks players have been able to get back into their routines since the team’s practice facility reopened a few weeks back, the steps toward being able to get back into the rhythm and game shape have already started in individual workouts.
That’s especially important for a Bucks team that is tied with the Houston Rockets for the oldest roster by average age, per Real GM.
All along the roster, the Bucks have a number of veteran players making up the rotation and supplementing the team’s foundation of superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, All-Star forward Khris Middleton and guard Eric Bledsoe and big man Brook Lopez.
Bringing in offseason additions such as Kyle Korver, Wesley Matthews, and Robin Lopez whom have all come in and played consistent roles with the Bucks this season, played a big part in the even-keeled culture the Bucks built upon over the season, along with the returning George Hill and the ageless Ersan Ilyasova. And certainly bringing in Marvin Williams on a midseason buyout raised that average age even further.
Of course, having the many veteran and experienced voices that the Bucks have assembled into the locker room has informed the poise and confidence that has been present all season long as they all knew a bigger prize awaited them.
But any focus on wanting to win a championship obviously came to a halt when the events of the real world completely disrupted life as we knew it. Now with the plans to restart the season slowly coming to fruition, trying to recapture that mindset and peak sharpness for both body and mind isn’t something that can easily be done on its face.
Sure, the concept of holding a second training camp that has been reported will definitely combat those concerns, but all teams, including the Bucks, would essentially be starting from scratch. Korver, in particular, spoke about this with K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago right after the NBA went dark and how the suspension affected the Bucks’ own chase for a championship:
"“How does this work? None of us know. There’s even more uncertainty than that lockout year. This has never happened before,” Korver said. “The reality is you’re probably going to come back and maybe you get a couple (regular-season) games, maybe you don’t, and it’s playoff games. So it’s not like you’re going to come in and get a training camp.“It’s not what any of us would want obviously. We had really good momentum as a team. In our head, after All-Star break, we talked about really ramping up and getting more focused. We have championship aspirations. And now you go to a 0. We’re not even allowed into the facility as a group. It adds to the uncertainty for us. Obviously, everyone’s health — not just ours but the world’s — is most important. It’s kind of an interesting headspace to be in.”"
And as Korver alluded to and no matter how much risk the NBA will look to limit with their “campus” environments, there are a whole new set of factors and variables that players and teams have to weigh in this new reality.
For the many Bucks veterans that need to take extra preparations and were likely going to see their minutes diminish before this all occurred and with the postseason increasingly come into focus, having a near two-month layoff will certainly affect where their fitness and respective games will be going into this rebooted season.
That only adds an added element that the Bucks’ coaching staff and medical team have to weigh in a whole new world and frankly, a new season for all involved.