Bucks Roundtable: Offseason moves, bold predictions, early trade targets and more
By Dalton Sell
Outside of a title, what's one bold prediction you have for the Bucks?
Sell: Damian Lillard makes second-team All-NBA. There are plenty of people lining up to deliver their doubts on Lillard before the season begins. This writer thinks he'll use all of the outside noise as fuel and bounce back after a tough year last year. Having more chemistry with his teammates and being able to actually work out this offseason should help him. This is a lofty goal, but he can get there.
Moxon: My bold prediction for this season is Giannis Antetokounmpo wins his third MVP. Last season was arguably his best season to date and yet was massively overlooked. He then missed the postseason due to injury and suddenly everyone forgot about how good he is and he has almost become underrated. In the Olympics he showed how great he is by leading Greece to the knockout phase and being one of the best players in the whole tournament. I think he has the bit between his teeth and he is back to show everyone what they have been missing.
Darias: The Ray Allen franchise record of 229 three pointers in a season is being beaten this year. Both Malik Beasley and Damian Lillard got really close last season, and I think Dame or Gary Trent Jr., maybe even both, will beat it.
LB: My bold prediction for this team deals again with rookie AJ Johnson. I'm going to go ahead and say he's a top-five rookie in the NBA in the 2024-2025 season. What I mean by that is he'll be able to step it up in times and moments during the regular season when this team needs to rest its starters. The Bucks are going to have some give-up games. AJ Johnson is going to have a couple of games or he gets 20 or 30 points and really proves that he was worth the first-round pick.
Schickert: Outside of a championship, a bold prediction I have for this season is that Khris Middleton will make his fourth All-Star team. The playoff series versus the Pacers was obviously underwhelming, but I was very encouraged by what Khris Middleton did in that series while playing through multiple nagging knee and ankle injuries.
Luna: Based on absolutely nothing but vibes and fit, I do feel like Tyler Smith is going to be more useful for the Bucks than many fans realize. His touch from deep looked legit in Summer League and while his defense isn't as polish as you'd hope, he has the size and length to really be a problem.
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