Training camp is right around the corner, and the Milwaukee Bucks should have one clear objective at the top of their to-do list: Find their most versatile and effective defensive lineups. If this team wants to contend at the top of the conference, it starts with establishing an identity on that side of the ball like they did consistently during the Mike Budenholzer era.
They have the personnel, but now, it's about discovering who fits best where after a summer full of significant changes.
Defense will be the ultimate key for the Milwaukee Bucks this season
Milwaukee's defense has been a major issue over the last two seasons. They've been too unathletic, immobile, and devoid of energy at times. Given the NBA's recent transition to youth-dominated units, it was problematic for one of the league's oldest rosters, and they were left in the dust. Now, that isn't the case. They've added their own cache of young, versatile pieces to help them combat others.
Like last season's NBA Finals finalists, the OKC Thunder and Indiana Pacers, the key to having a great defense is having no liabilities on the court. Teams need players one through five who can defend an assortment of different positions. If not, they will get picked on until their coach wisely yanks them out of the game or when the final buzzer sounds.
Milwaukee adopted this strategy and will look to implement it. Ironically, it started with stealing the starting center from the aforementioned Indiana Pacers. Myles Turner, who has been among the NBA's most versatile defenders for years now, gives Milwaukee a more mobile, versatile option at the center spot than Brook Lopez, whose time was clearly up. That alone helps.
In addition to Turner, the Milwaukee Bucks have filled out the roster with versatile, hard-nosed, young players who have proven to be scrappy defenders. AJ Green and Gary Trent Jr. have shown that they won't back down from anyone. Ryan Rollins and Kevin Porter Jr. are feisty and underrated. For all of his offensive faults, Kyle Kuzma can play some defense. Don't forget about Jericho Sims.
The Milwaukee Bucks have the pieces to be a good defensive unit. It will be up to Doc Rivers to test out different lineups and see who fits where. His most prominent task will be filling out the starting five. Giannis and Turner will obviously start, but the rest of the spots are up for grabs. Who joins them could ultimately hinge on how well they fit on the defensive end.
Of course, even with all of this talk about the defense, figuring out the offense will be important, too, especially with Damian Lillard gone. Yet, with an assortment of quality scoring options, that seems like it will be less taxing than sorting through the defense.
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