Milwaukee Bucks: Depth Chart after first weekend of free agency

Milwaukee Bucks post-free agency depth chart: Center

The Milwaukee Bucks look to be entering the 2022-23 season with the center position being their most veteran position. With the report on Independence Day revealing the Milwaukee Bucks are retaining yet another player from the 2021-22 campaign, Serge Ibaka.

So the Bucks enter the season with Brook Lopez, in the final year of his four year contract, at 34 years old (35 in April) and Serge Ibaka at 32 years old (33 in September). The center position is one that Jon Horst is certainly pondering the future of. While the Bucks do have Sandro Mamukelashvili on a two-way contract, Mamu is still just a prospect at this point. In addition to shooting guard, center is one other position that Horst could look to upgrade the roster at.

Lopez missed most of the 2021-22 season, prompting the acquisition of Ibaka as insurance, while Ibaka was with the Bucks during the playoffs, he didn’t play much, making the choice to retain him a bit of a head-scratching move. Lopez has been the anchor of the Bucks defense for years, including a major role during the championship run, it’s possible that Ibaka was retained to avoid any drop off defensively at the center position when Lopez comes off the floor. It is also worth noting that Ibaka is a career 36.0 percent 3-point shooter, so Ibaka fits the mold of defense plus floor spacing, a role Lopez has played very well for the Bucks.

Stay tuned to see what the Milwaukee Bucks do to finalize the roster as Summer League starts this week and the season inches nearer.