Milwaukee Bucks: 3 X-factors to repeating as champions in 2021-22

X-factors for Milwaukee Bucks repeating in 2021-22 season: Getting the most out of the role players

Any success that the Bucks see during the 2021-22 season will be dictated by their star players, obviously. Players like Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, and Khris Middleton make the wheels turn on both ends of the floor, as evidenced by their efforts in their title run. However, the role players also played their part, with several players having impacted a playoff series entirely.

Everyone remembers Bryn Forbes extinguishing the Miami Heat in the first round with electric outside shooting, and P.J. Tucker’s tenacious defense against the Brooklyn Nets was just enough to help the Bucks advance. With both of those players having departed in free agency, the Bucks lost two key contributors but spent the offseason adding several other pieces that should help them stay afloat and make another run next season. In fact, some will argue that the Bucks got better this offseason following a handful of moves.

Having added players like Grayson Allen, Semi Ojeleye, George Hill, and the aforementioned Hood, this team has an assortment of role players that will be tasked with individual tasks. For someone like Allen, his role might be bigger than any of those other names because he could find himself in the starting five if DiVincenzo is not healthy. Regardless, he will have to bring some intensity and shooting to the table. Ojeleye will aim to bulk up Milwaukee’s defense after Tucker’s departure, while Hood will be asked to pack a scoring punch off the bench. Hill will slide back into a familiar place with the team as he reclaims his spot as the backup point guard, and he is someone who will have a massive impact on this team immediately in that role.

These players will join a second unit that already has two impact players in Pat Connaughton and Bobby Portis, two players that also play their roles to perfection. If the Bucks can get the most out of the newcomers to complement their stars up front, then they will be in a great position to make another deep run next season.