Milwaukee Bucks: What does their championship window look like?

The Milwaukee Bucks have enjoyed smashing success over the last two seasons in the regular season. But as we all know, it hasn’t gone in their favor in each of their last two playoff runs.

That’s what has made this 2020-21 season so fascinating to watch, even as the Bucks have taken on a different approach and struggled to reaching the same overarching dominance this regular season.

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As that has gone on, the pressing question regarding their long-term future have been answered in the form of Giannis Antetokounmpo his supermax extension before the start of the season as well as Jrue Holiday signing a four-year extension earlier this month to see out the rest of his prime in Milwaukee.

With the likes of Antetokounmpo, Holiday and Khris Middleton all under contract together until the end of the 2023-24 season, the Bucks have, in theory, the intervening seasons to see out the championship window they have built under Bucks general manager Jon Horst. And as long as Antetokounmpo remains in Milwaukee, contending for titles should be the expectations at this point for the Bucks.

With the heavy lifting done in terms of locking down a defined core between their top three players, the mission for Horst and co. is building a viable supporting cast to get the job and end their half-century championship drought. And make no mistake, Horst has been very aggressive in rounding out the Bucks’ roster this season in trying to do just that.

Whether it has been the offseason additions of Bobby Portis and Bryn Forbes or trading for P.J. Tucker and picking up Jeff Teague after being waived by the Orlando Magic, the Bucks’ roster hasn’t been a finished product by any means.

Is this season the Milwaukee Bucks’ best shot at winning a title?

Of course, the Bucks’ supporting cast is due to see changes next offseason with four of those additions either due to re-enter free agency or having to decide what to do with their respective player options like in Forbes and Portis’ cases. And while Bucks fans have been intrigued by young prospects like Jordan Nwora, Sam Merrill and Mamadi Diakite, it’s hard to project what roles they will play in the future as of now.

Does that put more pressure on the Bucks overcoming their playoff demons to make it out of the East?

As it stands, they have the necessary pieces to get out of the East and contend for a championship. Horst has given Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer a wealth of options to play all sorts of different ways that have increased the Bucks’ flexibility, whether in terms of personnel and tactically.

While they haven’t been the dominant machine we’ve seen in past regular seasons, positive indicators are still there. Per NBA.com/stats, the Bucks fifth and eighth in both offensive and defensive efficiency and are one of three teams to rank in the top 10 of both categories, with the other two being the Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz. Along with that, Milwaukee’s +6.4 point differential ranks third in the NBA with less than three weeks to go this regular season.

With all of these pieces in place, Milwaukee’s success comes down to execution. While they have taken their lumps, Milwaukee has shown they can compete against anyone and directly those teams that stand in their way to come out of the East. Milwaukee is fresh off of sweeping their season series against the Philadephia 76ers, even if injuries played a factor, and their upcoming back-to-back set with the Brooklyn Nets will be the biggest test they face before the start of the playoffs.

It goes without saying that if everything goes to plan, the Bucks are in a place to compete in the East and make their long-awaited return to the NBA Finals to potentially win their second title in NBA history. But time will tell whether they will be able to overcome the issues and concerns that have prevented them from ending this title-winning drought.