Milwaukee Bucks: 4 lessons learned for the defending champs

It’s the long game that matters in the final analysis for the Milwaukee Bucks

After a number of losing streaks, lopsided losses, and uninspired showings peppered throughout the regular season, it would have been easy and logical for the team to implode and enter panic mode (as most members of the Bucks fiefdom did on social media). This was, after all, a team that led the entire NBA in the standings for two seasons in a row en route to projections of playoff success.

They didn’t fold, though, and the pronounced focus on getting better with each passing game paid dividends as we all know now. Mike Budenholzer, perhaps out of worry after being on the hot seat in his Bucks tenure, decided to flip the reset button and treat the regular season as a 72-game training camp. The Bucks Laboratory went through defensive coverages and offensive principles emphasizing the dunker area and ultimately figured themselves out.

All this bears repeating as the Bucks are on the cusp of yet another regular season. The dynamic is completely different this time around as they enter the year as defending champions. But the fact remains: it’s the long game that matters.

The Giannis Wall is no longer a problem, but the league’s unspoken Giannis Rules are still very much in effect. Save for the reigning Finals MVP’s 17/19 performance in Game 6, he is still widely considered a liability from the free-throw line until proven otherwise, and forcing him to shoot is still the best basketball move if they want to stay in good shape.

They say the fires of experience can only sharpen a team and make them better in the long run. But whether off a victory or defeat, this can only ring true if they take a step back and learn from the year that was.

The worst thing for this Bucks team as it currently stands would be to rest on their laurels. We certainly hope they look inwards and find the heart of a champion once more.