A bit of a re-rack, but wanted to start a thread in commemoration of the season's start tonight:
The Bucks start tomorrow night against the Knicks in what is the most promising season for this team in a long, long time.
The Bucks feature a nucleus of players 26 or younger that might be the envy of the league. The oldest of that group, Michael Carter-Williams, is expected to lead this team as a PG capable of landing a triple double on a nightly basis. Monroe (26), Henson (25), Antetokoumpo (20), Parker (20), and Middleton (24) make up a long, deep, young core that is a long ways from their best basketball. They have acquired a solid bench of veteran Guards to complement them in Bayless, Vasquez, and Mayo. Copeland, Plumlee, O'Bryant, and 1st round rookie Vaughn round out a bench that will get plenty of chances to earn PT.
A big factor will be shooting- with young slashers up and down the lineup, they need shooters to hit 3s off reversals and secondary breaks. The Bucks were one of the best defensive teams in the NBA last year, so that must continue for them to make another jump in 2015-16.
Jason Kidd starts his second season as Bucks head coach. His first season proved his ability to mold a young team to improved play. They parlayed his tutoring of Brandon Knight into a deadline deal for Carter-Williams, giving the Bucks a stronger defensive look while sacrificing Knight's ability to knock down tough, big shots. The results saw the team stumble down the stretch, but give the Bulls all they could handle in a 6 game playoff series that was one made shot from going 7 games.
The Bucks lead the NBA in steals, but were in the bottom 5 in rebounding. They fielded one of the worst offenses in the league last year.
The Bucks will look to run more this year, emphasizing the importance of shot-making in the secondary break. The Bucks share the ball well, ranking 7th a year ago in assists. With an upgrade at the C position and more PT for Henson, the Bucks should be able to improve on their 11th ranked shot blocking.
But in an improved EC, how many more wins can they get? Atlanta, Toronto, Chicago, and Indiana all will field strong teams. Cleveland is still the team to beat. Washington and Orlando appear to be improved.
I think the Bucks are a team capable of 50 wins if they make shots and stay healthy. It should be fun to watch this team grow. Tomorrow night it's on!!!
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