A lot can change in regards to positioning down the stretch in the remaining games, but the Milwaukee Bucks have navigated arguably the toughest part of their schedule and set themselves up very nicely for a potential first-round matchup against a lower seed.
The one problem, though, is that there are some dangerous teams in and around the play-in tournament. That being said, the Bucks are the defending champs and aren’t scared to play anyone in any round of the playoffs.
But I’m not a defending champion, so I’m a little more scared of certain opponents than others! I picked out five potential first-round opponents for the Bucks that are in or around the play-in tournament and ranked them from least scary to most.
Ranking potential first-round opponents for the Milwaukee Bucks: #5 – Charlotte Hornets
Yeah, the Charlotte Hornets have played the Bucks tough in the last few seasons, whether it was Kemba Walker or LaMelo Ball at point guard but I wouldn’t be at all worried if they made it through the play-in tournament as the ninth seed.
Despite missing a couple of key reserves in Pat Connaughton and George Hill in their most recent meeting, the Bucks blew out the Hornets, leading by as many as 35 points. The Hornets didn’t have Gordon Hayward for that game, but I don’t think he’s making a 35-point difference for them.
Milwaukee shot 40 percent on 45 3-point attempts in that game, which is high but only around three percent above their season average of 36.8 percent.
That game showed that when they put their foot down, they can dominate a defense-optional Hornets team. They’re a fun, young, and exciting team but they wouldn’t steal more than a game from the Bucks in a playoff series when the reigning champs are taking things seriously.