It only took four minutes for the Milwaukee Bucks to look like contenders again.
Against the Chicago Bulls in their 127-121 preseason win, head coach Doc Rivers did more than just secure a meaningless victory. He accidentally (or intentionally, who knows, really?) flashed the ideal playoff formula this team has been searching for since the minute the last season ended.
When the lineup of Kevin Porter Jr., Gary Trent Jr., AJ Green, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Myles Turner hit the floor, everything suddenly clicked. The pace jumped. The spacing opened up. The offense flowed. For the first time in months, the Bucks looked like a modern basketball team instead of a broken experiment.
The Bucks are going to surprise teams with their pace and space attack
Ask any Bucks fan, and they'll be the first to admit: the Bucks haven't looked like their dominant selves since Mike Budenholzer left town. While his coaching had a clear and apparent ceiling, his floor as a tactician consistently had Giannis and company blowing out teams left and right.
For the first time in years, the Bucks looked like their old selves again. One thing is clear: the key is in the personnel, and it’s a high-stakes decision on identity for this season.
With Giannis stationed at power forward, the addition of Myles Turner at center provided the crucial, two-way jolt Milwaukee needed. Turner anchored the defense with vertical rim protection while simultaneously dragging his defender out to the 3-point line on offense. This gave Giannis the runway he requires to be an unstoppable force, a sight that’s been missing for a while.
As fans have already come to expect at this point, Kevin Porter Jr. ran the show with control and confidence. Giannis didn’t have to force things. Trent and Green gave Milwaukee the shooting it’s been begging for, and Turner’s presence anchored everything on both ends. It looked almost identical to the group that saved last season’s tail end — only sharper, faster, more intentional.
Yeah, it’s only preseason. Obviously, you don't hand out rings for October highlights.
But what Doc Rivers showed in that brief stretch wasn’t just a hot shooting night. It was a tangible blueprint for team building and future contention. The core issue for the Bucks has always been this: maximize Giannis. That means surrounding him with three-level shooting, a fast tempo, and a partner who handles the ball pressure.
Look, the current roster is what it is, and much has been said about the Herculean effort that will need to come from Antetokounmpo if the Bucks are going to be winning basketball games this season.
That's all well and good, but at the same time, this lineup checks every box. It's the most complete and dominant the Bucks have looked in years. Bucks fans are right to be excited about what's to come, even if no one else around the association sees it.
The critical question now is whether Rivers is bold enough to commit to this small-ball, pace-heavy formula when the real games begin, potentially at the expense of a bigger player or a traditional rotation favorite.
For four electric minutes against the Bulls, Milwaukee looked like a team that could reclaim its long-lost greatness. If they deviate from this new identity, it will be the misstep that defines this season's narrative.
This writer argued a few weeks back: the Bucks' title future depends on whether or not this latest iteration can still evolve. It's only a preseason game, but it's looking like they've answered that call with urgency.