NBA free agency opened last Thursday, the Milwaukee Bucks made several moves, nearly all of them focused on retention of key role players, which was the main question during the post-draft depth chart, while adding Joe Ingles to the front court. Let’s look at where the roster stands with the Bucks assumingly done signing free agents unless someone is let go from the roster first.
Milwaukee Bucks post-free agency depth chart: Point guard
Point guard is one area the Milwaukee Bucks focused on retention, signing Jevon Carter to a two year deal, Carter is just 26, giving the Bucks the opportunity to develop him beyond just the 2022-23 season.
So behind obvious starter Jrue Holiday, one of the best two-way point guards in the NBA, evidenced by his back to back All-NBA defense selections and a career high mark behind the 3-point line, the Milwaukee Bucks currently have a bit of a log-jam.
First, there is the veteran George Hill, then there is the recently signed Jevon Carter, and lastly Luca Vildoza, who was brought in late last year. Vildoza’s contract is not guaranteed if the Bucks cut him before the end of training camp so it doesn’t seem likely Vildoza will be on the roster when the season begins. UPDATE: Luca Vildoza has been waived.
The biggest question that remains at the position however, is what will the Bucks do with George Hill? Fans were clamoring for Jevon Carter to play over the veteran Hill in the playoff series against the Boston Celtics, now the same fans are eagerly waiting to hear that George Hill is moved in a trade, whether included in a bigger deal to upgrade the roster or just to clear the way for Carter to back up Holiday.
The only thing that is really certain at point guard for the Bucks right now is uncertainty. Holiday is locked in as the starter, but things are murky at best behind him as the roster stands right now.
Milwaukee Bucks post-free agency depth chart: Shooting guard
Another area the Milwaukee Bucks focused on retention during the opening wave of free agency was shooting guard, while the official monetary details haven’t been released, it is likely Matthews is back for the veteran minimum.
Shooting guard is likely the most highlighted position for the Milwaukee Bucks to look at trying to upgrade. Grayson Allen started most of the 2021-22 season for the Bucks before being supplanted by Wesley Matthews late in the season and during the playoffs. Could the Bucks look to make a trade involving Grayson Allen and George Hill?
As the roster stands currently, shooting guard is the only position on the roster where the starter is a question mark. Head Coach Mike Budenholzer could opt to stick with the youth of Grayson Allen through the long season and save Wesley Matthews for the toughest defensive matchups. Budenholzer could start Wesley Matthews to prioritize a tough defensive starting unit, or Bud could take it game by game, starting whichever option of Allen or Matthews makes sense based on their opponent. Keep an eye on the roster at shooting guard, General Manager Jon Horst may look to make a move at the position.
Milwaukee Bucks post-free agency depth chart: Small forward
Small forward is a position for the Milwaukee Bucks begin some positional versatility. The locked and loaded starter is Khris Middleton, the two-time All-Star is locked in at the position similar to how Jrue Holiday is locked in at point guard, forming two of the big three the Milwaukee Bucks have.
Behind Khris is a little bit of a question however, who occupies the primary backup spot to Khris? The most likely backup to Middleton is Pat Connaughton, who could slide up into the shooting guard position in some lineups. Despite being listed by basketball-reference as a shooting guard, Connaughton has spent more time at small forward the last two seasons for the Bucks.
After Middleton and Connaughton the next man up at small forward could be newly signed Joe Ingles. Ingles played 91 percent of his minutes at the small forward position for the Utah Jazz last season. Ingles has played a considerable amount of time at power forward as well, thus adding to the Bucks positional versatility at forward.
Also at small forward is newly drafted MarJon Beauchamp, while Beauchamp may not see a ton of minutes as a rookie, he may see some minutes while Joe Ingles works his way back from an ACL injury likely to keep him sidelined until early 2023.
One final potential option, albeit not a solidified one is Jordan Nwora, who was extended a qualifying offer from the Milwaukee Bucks but no decision has been made on whether or not it will be signed or if Nwora will become a restricted free agent. Nwora remains a question mark at this point.
Milwaukee Bucks post-free agency depth chart: Power forward
The easiest position to write in the starter for the Milwaukee Bucks is power forward, go ahead and use permanent marker to write in Giannis Antetokounmpo as the starter here. Giannis is one of the best players in the entire NBA, as evidenced by his unanimous First Team All-NBA selection.
Giannis is now the only player left from the 2013 NBA Draft still with their original team. Antetokounmpo will play a lion’s share of the minutes at power forward, with good reason, at just 27 years old Giannis has already earned MVP twice, Most Improved Player, Defensive Player of the Year, Finals MVP and a slew of All-Star and All-NBA nods. In 2021-22 Giannis averaged 29.9 points, ,11.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists to go with 1.4 blocks and 1.1 steals which also earned him NBA All-Defensive First Team honors.
Behind Giannis the most likely backup at power forward is another player the Milwaukee Bucks retained, Bobby Portis. Despite being a veteran of the league, Portis is just 27 years old and will now be a Milwaukee Buck for at least the next four years.
Portis was a huge piece of the Milwaukee Bucks championship run in 2021 and had been very clear about loving the city of Milwaukee and how the fans have embraced him. While Bobby has become a fan favorite, it is easy to see why with his dogged determination on the court when Portis plays with high intensity. Not only does Portis play with a lot of energy, he has developed as a knockdown shooter behind the 3-point line and in the midrange when playing in isolation.
After Giannis and Bobby, the next likely option at power forward is Joe Ingles, Ingles is 6’8″ and has played plenty of power forward in his career, so it won’t be anything new for Ingles.
While the depth chart may not be as deep at power forward as it is at other positions it doesn’t really need to be, with Giannis and Bobby playing most of the minutes at the position and power forward being the position that gets filled by players like Khris Middleton and Pat Connaughton in small ball lineups, the Bucks are pretty much set at the position.
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.