Are The Milwaukee Bucks Contenders Or Pretenders Entering NBA Season?

The Milwaukee Bucks face a pivotal moment entering the 2024-25 NBA season. After two consecutive first-round playoff exits, many analysts have shifted their perception of the Bucks from championship contenders to pretenders. It’s now up to Milwaukee to prove those doubters wrong.

The Bucks’ disappointing exits against the Indiana Pacers last season and the Miami Heat the year prior have put a spotlight on their struggles. Health has been a recurring theme in both defeats. Five months ago, they were outmatched by the Pacers, while the season before, they were upset by the eighth-seeded Heat. In both series, key injuries undermined Milwaukee's chances.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, usually durable, has been hit by untimely injuries at the worst moments. Last season, a calf injury sidelined him for the entire postseason, and the year before, a back injury against Miami kept him out of multiple games and limited his impact when he returned.

Khris Middleton’s health is another issue—he hasn’t been the same since the Bucks’ 2021 title run, struggling to stay on the floor. And now, there are growing concerns about the durability of Damian Lillard, who’s entering his 13th NBA season.

Milwaukee’s aging roster and its health concerns go hand in hand, like a ticking clock on their championship window.

Nearly the entire core of the team is on the wrong side of 30. Instead of listing everyone in the rotation meeting that threshold, it’s easier to highlight the few still in their 20s—Antetokounmpo (who turns 30 in December), Gary Trent Jr. (25), and Bobby Portis (29).

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Whether the Bucks’ younger players can step up is a major question. Andre Jackson Jr. and AJ Green are the likeliest candidates to crack the rotation, but both have a lot to prove.

These health concerns and an aging roster are fueling the skepticism surrounding Milwaukee’s title chances. In August, ESPN predicted a fifth-place finish for the Bucks in the Eastern Conference with just 49 wins, behind the Celtics, Knicks, 76ers, and even the Cavaliers. That’s below the 50.5-win projection from Vegas and a far cry from the dominance Bucks fans are used to.

Yet, despite the noise, there are reasons for optimism in Milwaukee.

It starts with Antetokounmpo and Lillard. Now entering their second season together, the duo will need to find better synergy to wreak the havoc they had envisioned when the Bucks traded for Lillard. Their offseason focus has been on how to blend their elite individual skills and put defenses in impossible situations.

A large part of that responsibility falls on head coach Doc Rivers. Rivers will need to design an offense that not only maximizes his superstar duo but also places the rest of the roster in spots to thrive.

Defense is another key question mark for this team.

Milwaukee made solid additions in Delon Wright and Taurean Prince, both of whom should help on the perimeter. But they still lack a true elite wing defender, a critical piece for any team hoping to contend with the Celtics or 76ers in the postseason.

Rivers has expressed a desire for a more versatile defensive scheme, but Brook Lopez’s lack of mobility may prevent them from fully realizing that vision. Rivers and his staff will have to get creative to mask some of these limitations.

Ultimately, the Bucks are heading into this season with more questions than answers. There’s potential for things to click, but potential doesn’t win championships.

Milwaukee is entering a campaign where they are doubted like they haven’t been since the early days of the Mike Budenholzer era. How this veteran team responds to that skepticism will define whether they are still championship contenders—or if the doubters were right all along.