It really does feel like you can’t win a championship in the NBA without three All-Star caliber players, at a minimum. For the Milwaukee Bucks, the debate was always about whether or not Khris Middleton could be good enough to be a number two on a championship team.
For most fans of the Bucks, they knew Middleton was good enough to be in that type of role. He should have been an All-NBA player back in 2019-20, but a technicality in the voting left him off. The problem was that the Bucks didn’t have a legitimate third option to round out their trio.
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Eric Bledsoe, for as good of a defender and attacker of the basket as he was during his time with the team, never became that third guy for the Bucks in the playoffs.
Some would have said that the former Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon would have been the number three had he not left in free agency. I have my doubts about how that would have worked, but there is an argument to be made in that regard, I guess.
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter, though, because Jrue Holiday more than filled the role as the third star for the Milwaukee Bucks, and they promptly won a championship in his first season with the team.
After another offseason, there are a few new trios that formed to compete with the best existing trios in the NBA. So how does the Bucks’ championship trio stack up to the rest of the league’s best trios? Let’s find out!
Ranking the Milwaukee Bucks amongst NBA’s best trios: Honorable Mentions
Chicago Bulls: Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, DeMar DeRozan
The Chicago Bulls may have had the flashiest offseason in the entire league, going out and getting DeMar DeRozan and Lonzo Ball, among other additions. The Bucks’ Central Division rivals will be better than last season, but there are big questions around this trio defensively.
Denver Nuggets: Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr.
This was the hardest one to leave out for me, but it’s purely due to Murray’s injury. If I knew for sure that this team would be fully healthy, then I’d absolutely have them in the top 10. Jokic is one of the 7-10 best players in the whole league, and Murray and Porter fill in perfectly around what he does offensively.
LA Clippers: Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Reggie Jackson
If you’re strictly ranking duos, then the Clippers fall in the top three. Leonard and George are two of the best two-way wings in the league (Leonard is the best one), and they carry such a large offensive creation burden for the Clippers. Jackson had a stellar playoff run and really helped George carry the Clippers with Leonard out. I just need to see him play at that level consistently.
Ranking the Milwaukee Bucks amongst NBA’s best trios: Team’s 10-7
#10. Boston Celtics: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart
Did the Boston Celtics have a very disappointing season in 2020-21? Absolutely. I think most people would have had the Celtics projected higher than the play-in tournament and the 7th seed before the season.
I still have a ton of faith in this trio, however, specifically, their two young, star wings in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. You need two-way wings to succeed in the NBA, and the Celtics have arguably the two best under 25. We saw a big leap from Brown offensively last season, resulting in his first All-Star appearance. Tatum could very well end up as an MVP candidate one day as he’s already one of the best scorers in the whole league.
Not to take away from Marcus Smart, who is regarded as one of the best defenders at any position who will take on a bigger offensive role without Kemba Walker. The Celtics should be better than last season, and these three will be the reasons why.
#9. Atlanta Hawks: Trae Young, Clint Capela, John Collins
This may be a recency bias, but it would be wrong of me to leave the Atlanta Hawks’ trio out of the top ten. The Hawks are more than just these three, as they got contributions from players like Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kevin Heurter, and Lou Williams in their playoff run, while DeAndre Hunter had a breakout but injury-plagued season.
Still, these three are what makes the Hawks go. Offensively, you won’t find many better guards than Trae Young. His passing might be his most dangerous skill, and that’s saying something. The Hawks were also able to hide him defensively very well in the playoffs and not allowing teams to take advantage of him. John Collins has turned himself into a consistent 40 percent 3-point shooter the last two seasons while maintaining his ability to finish around the basket. Clint Capela was the Hawks’ second-best player all season as he transformed their identity defensively.
#8. Philadelphia 76ers: Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris
We’ll see how much longer this trio lasts together, but for now, they’re firmly in the top ten. They could be higher, but it’s hard to ignore the severe lack of playoff success. Joel Embiid is arguably the best pure center in the NBA (fans of Jokic will disagree), and when he’s on, his game is an absolute force of nature. He had his best season last year and could be an MVP finalist once again this year.
For all the flack that Ben Simmons takes, he’s still an incredible defender and passer. He has elite traits that many players wish they had, but the lack of scoring — or even willingness to do so — is a big weakness. Tobias Harris turned in his best season last year and is a very good three-level scorer, but he remains a bit inconsistent and a below-average defender.
#7. Miami Heat: Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry, Bam Adebayo
This trio could absolutely move up after their first season together, and I have confidence that they will, but I need to see it first. For all the jokes about how Jimmy Butler was outscored by Bryn Forbes in the Bucks’ first round sweep of the Heat, he’s still one of the best wing defenders in the entire league and a very good scorer when he’s not being guarded by Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Kyle Lowry is an immediate fit with this group and should pick up right where he left off after a franchise-changing run with the Toronto Raptors. He’s 35-years-old, but that won’t slow him down whatsoever. Bam Adebayo’s one major weakness is his willingness to look for his own shot. We saw it against the Bucks with Brook Lopez essentially not guarding him, which proved effective. Otherwise, he’s a future Defensive Player of the Year winner who can handle the ball, pass, and rim run. The pick and roll with him and Lowry will be a lot of fun to watch.
Ranking the Milwaukee Bucks amongst NBA’s best trios: Team’s 6-4
#6. Utah Jazz: Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, Mike Conley
A lot of the same playoff failure talk that we had with the Philadelphia Sixers can go towards the trio of the Utah Jazz as well. The difference is they’ll be together beyond this season,n and we’ve seen them have more regular season success. I also think they fit together better.
Gobert and Mitchell have strung together the best seasons of Jazz basketball since John Stockton and Karl Malone, they just need to find success past the second round of the playoffs. Mike Conley has proven to be a great fit with them and should lead to that playoff success. What more is there to say about Gobert? He’s arguably the best rim protector we’ve ever seen, and his playoff failures are overblown, to me. Utah’s lack of lineup versatility and perimeter defense was a bigger issue than anything Gobert could or couldn’t do.
Mitchell has been an absolute force in the last two playoffs, which included playing through an ankle injury in last year’s postseason. He carries a large chunk of the offensive creation for the Jazz and we’ve seen his playmaking improve each year. Finally, Conley brought defense, shooting, and playmaking to a team that needed a boost in each spot before his arrival. I’m a big fan of Conley’s, and he is the missing piece for this team to have playoff success.
#5. Phoenix Suns: Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton
Regardless of what you may think about their chances in an improved Western Conference, I think it would be silly to rank the Phoenix Suns’ trio outside of the top five after what they accomplished together last season.
Paul came in and immediately made the Suns better — as he does with any team he goes to. But that’s not to take away from what Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton were building together before his arrival. We saw it bubbling in Orlando when they went 9-0 and nearly strong-armed their way into the playoffs. Booker has become a superstar now that the Suns have found team success. He’s an incredible one-on-one scorer, and we’ve seen his passing take giant steps forward the last couple of seasons. I was a doubter of Booker’s early on, but he’s done more than enough to shut me up with his efficient scoring, fast-developing playmaking, and even showing signs of improved defense.
Ayton has a breakout season followed by an even bigger breakout run in the playoffs. It may have ended with a thud in the Finals against the Bucks, but what he showed as a mobile defender for his size was very impressive. I’d like to see him be more aggressive on offense, but last year was a big step forward. And there’s not much more I can say about Paul that hasn’t been said already. He’s one of my favorite players of all time, and I’m very happy he’s getting his due from the public.
#4. Golden State Warriors: Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green
For the recency bias in where I have the Hawks and Suns, I might be overcorrecting with having the Golden State Warriors at number four. But I still believe in these three, even with some of the questions still surrounding them. I mean, we saw them be the foundation for one of the best stretches of basketball we’ve seen from any team, ever. They broke the all-time best record mark together! I have to give them their respect until we see them fail.
Of course, the biggest question is going to be with Klay Thompson’s health and how he looks after two devastating injuries, but I feel pretty confident he’ll look solid when he comes back. It’ll take time for him to get back to anywhere close to what he was pre-injury, but his offensive game should be able to withstand the brutal injuries. Draymond Green was third in Defensive Player of the Year voting last year, proving he still has more than enough left in the tank. He’s still a perfect fit with Thompson and Stephen Curry with his ability as a playmaker, ball mover, and screen setter. He does so much for this team, and it’s a shame people don’t always recognize how great he is.
Steph Curry is still Steph Curry, and it was wonderful to see him back this past season. There’s arguably no more fun player to watch than when he’s rolling. Any team with Curry is going to have a chance at the playoffs and with the right group around him, a chance at a championship.
Ranking the Milwaukee Bucks amongst NBA’s best trios: Team’s 3-1
#3 Los Angeles Lakers: LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook
From a name-value standpoint, there are few trios that compete with this one. They combine for a staggering 34 All-Star selections, so there’s going to be a lot of eyes on this newly formed trio. We’ve seen what LeBron James and Anthony Davis can do together when fully healthy. They won a championship together! But how will Russell Westbrook fit into the equation now?
I have questions about the fit offensively, but some concerns on defense as well. Defensively it’s more of a team-wide concern as opposed to these three. James and Davis are still two of the best in the world on that end of the floor, but Westbrook isn’t what he used to be. The hope is that playing with James and Davis can bring out the best in Westbrook’s defending, but we’ll see.
Offensively, I’m intrigued by how it’ll go. Westbrook obviously wants the ball in his hands and when he’s most effective is when he’s going downhill and able to create offense at the rim while playmaking for others around him. But do you really want James to not have the ball in his hands?If James has the ball, though, then that will allow teams to just let Westbrook shoot jumpers, something he’s been a little too willing to do when his numbers suggest he probably shouldn’t. Ideally, he could play a more enhanced version of what Bruce Brown did for the Brooklyn Nets, but I don’t know if Westbrook will be a willing screen setter.
The talent is there for the Lakers, but how will it actually go once the games are being played?
#2. Milwaukee Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday
The reigning champs fall just short of the best trio in the NBA, but being the second-best isn’t so bad either. In just their first season together, they won a title and looked like a perfect match for one another. After a couple of years without a true number three, Holiday filled the void and was more than worth the hefty price tag that the Bucks paid. He showed why he’s considered to be among the elite defenders in the entire league, doing a little bit of everything for the Bucks during their playoff run. His defense swung games at important moments, and he came up with timely buckets when the Bucks needed him most.
Middleton was the clutch scorer that Bucks fans always knew he could be, and he took it to another level in this past playoff run. The man had a 40-point game in the NBA Finals, nothing more can be said about Middleton’s ability to be a number two on a championship team. And what more can I say about Antetokounmpo? Very few playoff runs were as impressive and as dominant as what he did in 2021. He averaged 30.2 points, 12.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game. It was prime Shaquille O’Neal numbers, and he finished it off with a 50-point closeout game to win the title and Finals MVP. He’s the best two-way player in the game.
#1. Brooklyn Nets: Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kyrie Irving
There truly has never been a better collection of offensive talent than what the Nets have assembled with these three scoring monsters. We didn’t get to see them together as much as we’d like to as fans, but when we did, it was a joy to watch. There are no concerns with how the three fit together on the court. They proved that they can and will be unselfish and don’t care which one of the three has a big game.
Kevin Durant’s performance in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Bucks will go down as one of the best ever in a losing effort. He truly nearly won the series by himself and looked wholly unstoppable for the entire series. There’s no better offensive player in basketball right now, and it shouldn’t be a debate.
Then there’s his teammate, James Harden, who could easily lay claim to being the second-best offensive player in basketball. We’ve seen his huge scoring exploits when he was in Houston, but his passing is what sets him apart. He’s a gifted passer and doesn’t get enough credit for that sometimes. Despite the mini-beef between Harden and Antetokounmpo, it’s hard for any Bucks fan to deny the greatness of Harden. And then there’s Irving, who is one of the most exciting players to watch on a nightly basis. There are few players in NBA history who come close to having the handle that Irving does, and his ability to finish around bigger defenders at the rim is unbelievable.
Hopefully the trio can remain healthy this season and in the playoffs because it will be a fun team to get to see work together and a challenge for any team to stop them.
There’s a ton of star power in the NBA right now, and there are more teams that have very good trios that I had to leave off, but there should be no debate that the Milwaukee Bucks easily have one of the best in all of basketball.