After an impressive roster retooling this offseason, the Milwaukee Bucks are now gearing up for the 2024-25 NBA season.
Soon enough, schedule releases and the preseason slate will be here. Which team should the Bucks open the regular season against? Let's break down five possible must-see matchups.
Indiana Pacers
The Pacers were the last team the Bucks played this past season. Milwaukee and Indiana went at it for six games in the NBA Playoffs, where the shorthanded Bucks did everything they could to stay afloat. Yet, they could not overcome the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo and went home early. Opening the season against the team that sent them home would be a great way to kick things off story-wise.
It's no secret that a new rivalry was forged between these two teams last season after several heated matchups, highlighted by the ever-controversial "game-ball gate." Tempers always flare when these two teams take the court, so opening the season that way would promise some fireworks to kick the year off with a bang.
On top of the storylines, there would also simply be no shortage of talent on display. On Milwaukee's end, there's obviously Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton, but the Pacers have a handful of strong pieces as well in Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard. When that much talent shares the floor, it typically promises a good on-court product.
It'd be nice to see these two teams go at it when they are both healthy, something they did not get to do much last season. Opening the season that way could add another chapter to the rivalry that is currently being written between these two Eastern Conference foes.