The 2019-20 NBA season has been quite kind to the Milwaukee Bucks at this stage, with a 26-4 record that is good for the No. 1 slot in the Eastern Conference. Coming into the campaign, there were whispers about the Bucks being upstaged by the Philadelphia 76ers (among others) but, at this stage, Milwaukee is the clear favorite to represent the East in the NBA Finals.
Still, the Bucks won’t be able to assuage every doubt until they prove it in May and June, especially after entering last season’s playoffs as the No. 1 seed and falling short. It helps to have the reigning MVP in Giannis Antetokounmpo, though, and it’s all smiles right now for Mike Budenholzer’s team. With that in mind, we will take a glance at the Bucks in our Holiday Wishlist series, as we look at each team and what they should be hoping to find this holiday season, both internally and with the potential for roster overhaul.
#1: The real Eric Bledsoe
The Bucks are currently taking the floor without Eric Bledsoe, who is sidelined for a couple of weeks with a right fibula evulsion fracture. The injury seemingly isn’t serious, which is a great thing, and Bledsoe will be on track by January, barring something unforeseen. However, Bledsoe’s playoff failures have been well-chronicled and, without Malcom Brogdon as a fail-safe, the Bucks absolutely need the All-Star version of Bledsoe, rather than the liability version. Milwaukee does have George Hill to provide quality depth, but he’s not exactly a high-ceiling option. Honestly, there isn’t much that Bledsoe can do to remove the simmering doubt until the playoffs but, after a 2019 postseason in which he shot 17 of 72 (23.6%) from three and essentially flopped, it’s the biggest concern for this team. Milwaukee has to be wishing for consistent, even if unspectacular, point guard play.
#2: Health
Because the Bucks are essentially playing like a 60-win team, it would be just fine if nothing changed for Milwaukee. However, the Bucks absolutely need to stay healthy, particularly with a few key pieces. Giannis is the obvious one because, well, no team could withstand the loss of a player of his magnitude. Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez are also vital pieces, though, and each would be considered (at least slightly) more of an injury risk than Antetokounmpo. Rarely would the status quo be acceptable, but it definitely would be for the Bucks.
#3: One more piece
For better or worse, any NBA contender that does not have two superstars will always be linked to the pursuit of another high-end player. It doesn’t seem likely that the Bucks will actually be able to pull the trigger on a major deal in-season but, even if they don’t, this is a team that could use an upgrade or two. Ersan Ilyasova is a favorite of Mike Budenholzer but he’s certainly limited, and the Bucks are leaning on him a bit too much. The same could be said of veteran wings like Wesley Matthews and Kyle Korver. Do the Bucks absolutely have to make a deal? No, but Milwaukee is in a position to get greedy and start to align themselves against the best of the best.
