Milwaukee Bucks: Comparing retooled 2021-22 roster to title-winning team

Milwaukee Bucks: Final thoughts on the new roster for 2021-22 NBA season

At least on paper, the Bucks look like a better team heading into the 2021-22 NBA season than they did last season.

While the starting five remains relatively unchanged, that extra year of experience should only make this group more comfortable. There were some struggles early on in 2020-21 with getting Holiday accustomed to how the Bucks like to do things, but once he got the hang of it, well, the results speak for themselves. He should not have that problem this time around. Giannis will also be turning 27-years-old in December, and given his rapid improvement with each passing year in his career, he seems poised to take another leap yet again next season.

The bench is where the Bucks made some clear-cut improvements. Hill will be an immediate upgrade over Teague, who could not earn consistent minutes during the postseason. His shooting and scoring will give the team a reliable option to take on ball-handling duties when Holiday needs a break. Allen, Hood, and Ojeleye will all have defined roles for themselves, and if they can fill that role, they should have no problem fitting in. Whether it be shooting, scoring, defense, toughness, or experience, this new group of Bucks has it, and they will be ready to show it next season.

While Connaughton was already under contract for next season, Portis was not. Bringing him back on another team-friendly deal was a massive win for the franchise as they will retain their sixth man and a key contributor in the second unit. Much like Holiday, Portis should only be better in 2021-22 with a year of experience playing for Mike Budenholzer under his belt. Who knows, perhaps Portis could make a legitimate run at next year’s Sixth Man of the Year honors if he has another outstanding season.

The Bucks got better this offseason, but time will tell if they can produce the same result that they did last season.