Milwaukee Bucks: 3 reasons for optimism at halfway point in 2020-21 season
Standing at the halfway mark of the 2020-21 season, the Milwaukee Bucks have returned to going through the regular season motions this year.
Trying to navigate through all of the many pitfalls that come this season has been a challenge, on top of trying to integrate all of the new additions they made over the offseason. All of that has led to the 22-14 record they hold at this point in their run, which is quite the drop-off from they were at last regular season.
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Again, some of the struggles the Bucks have gone through have been expected, given their roster turnover. Their five-game losing skid last month, the worst of the Mike Budenholzer era, all coincided when the Bucks were without star guard Jrue Holiday.
Milwaukee has some ways to go into achieving their final form, but they have shown some indications that they’re closer to reaching such a level than some might let on going into the second half of the year.
So without further ado, let’s look at the three biggest reasons for optimism in regards to the Milwaukee Bucks’ 2020-21 season and where they go moving forward.
First reason for optimism — Milwaukee Bucks’ third-highest point differential
After having the last two regular seasons they’ve had under Budenholzer, all Bucks fans are used to seeing their regular season dominance by now.
While there were many indications for just how great the Bucks have been in the regular season under Bud, their +8.9 point differential in 2018-19 and an astounding +10.1 point differential last year showcased how they were on another scale entirely. Of course, the playoff disappointments ensued, all of which set up the events over the offseason.
Even with all of the changes in mind and the supposed step back the Bucks until this point in the season, we’ve still seen the dominant gear they’ve regularly shown over the last two seasons. That has led to the Bucks having the third-highest point differential (6.3), which only trails the Phoenix Suns and the Utah Jazz. Going by net rating standards, the Bucks rank second in the league behind the Jazz, per NBA.com/stats.
Some of this can be attributed to the relatively easy schedule the Bucks have had at the halfway mark. According to ESPN’s RPI rankings, the Bucks have had the sixth-easiest strength of schedule in the league.
While the Bucks have certainly dropped games they’ve normally had no business of dropping, they’ve still shown they’re a team to reckon with come playoff time.