3 reasons for optimism midway through the 2022 Milwaukee Bucks season

#2: The Milwaukee Bucks will (hopefully) have a well-balanced rotation

Although it wasn’t how I expected it to happen, the Bucks have found their rotation group that should carry through the rest of the season and into the playoffs. Hopefully.

Their offseason moves in acquiring Semi Ojeleye and Rodney Hood haven’t worked out as expected and Jordan Nwora has battled inconsistency in his sophomore season (as young players tend to do), but adding Wesley Matthews has seemingly solved that wing problem.

They should have a solid ten-man group that head coach Mike Budenholzer can trust to play deep into the playoffs, depending on the matchup.

The final rotation hinges on a couple of factors, however.

First, and most importantly, Brook Lopez needs to return and be somewhat close to where he was during the championship run. All of the reports suggest that the Bucks are very optimistic that he will not only return for the playoffs but that he’ll return before that as well.

So the only question is how well he’ll play. Back injuries can be tricky, but the Bucks also do a good job helping players rehab injuries.

He would solidify the frontcourt and would diminish the need for a third center.

The second is the trade deadline.

There are players on the market that would be attractive to the Bucks, but the team also has limited resources. However, they released DeMarcus Cousins to retain roster flexibility by keeping a roster spot open, so they intend on at least searching the market.

It would take a player of relatively decent quality to crack into the top ten of the rotation, but it is possible.

The Bucks have shown the ability to be versatile, play different styles on the fly, and their balanced rotation gives them that ability. In my mind, there are no weak links in the rotation and they can morph into whatever style they need to for a playoff series. We all saw how valuable that skill was last season.