It's fair to give the Milwaukee Bucks criticism after not only falling short of expectations over the past two seasons, but by doing so with back-to-back first round exits.
Context is important, as Milwaukee was banged up in both matchups, but the outside world does not care too much about that. At the end of the day, you won, or you lost. Due to that past failure, plenty of criticism has been thrown at the Bucks, and people are not high on them whatsoever despite their impressive offseason moves, given the limited assets they had to upgrade.
Sure, it's fair to be down on them, but according to ESPN's Zach Lowe on the latest episode of The Lowe Post, "It's very easy to find people around the league who are like, it's over. Just move on. Like start thinking about the next steps of the Bucks franchise, whatever, transition." Even with their past failures in mind, this is an insane thing to say.
No, it's not over for the Bucks, but they have questions
Last season was a mess; there's no denying that. Damian Lillard came in at the last minute and had a litany of personal issues going on, Doc Rivers was working at ESPN before being hired mid-season to coach and Khris Middleton was banged up for months. It was not the most cohesive environment for anyone, but that team was still solid at third in the East.
This year, those issues should not be as prominent. Damian Lillard has been working out relentlessly all offseason after he could not last year due to the trade request, and he should have built up more chemistry with his teammates. Rivers will know his players better, and after a pair of surgeries this offseason, Middleton should (fingers crossed) be ready to roll.
Oh, yeah, the Bucks also have arguably the greatest - top three at worst - player in the entire NBA on their roster in Giannis Antetokounmpo. As long as he is available, the Milwaukee Bucks are a threat to anyone. To say it's "over" on a team with Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the charge is flat-out crazy.
In addition to their stars, the Bucks also made some nice moves around the edges this offseason by adding players like Delon Wright, Taurean Prince and Gary Trent Jr. All of those players fill prominent holes and help this team look better, at least on paper for now, than they did last year.
If someone is doubts the Bucks due to health concerns, that is fair. All three of Milwaukee's stars have dealt with injuries in recent memory, and staying healthy will be the team's ultimate obstacle. Yet, that doesn't mean that it's simply over for this team. On a team with this much talent, they will always have a fighting chance as long as health a
With all of the doubt surrounding the Milwaukee Bucks entering this season, things are starting to feel a lot like 2020-21, and if this season ends the same way, it will make all the doubt that much sweeter.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.