The Milwaukee Bucks are staring down a season where experts outside their fanbase are throwing out some truly wild win totals, none more jarring than Bleacher Report’s bleak 18-win projection for the upcoming year. Forget being a contender, most of the league media sees the Bucks hitting rock bottom after the end of the Antetokounmpo era. It’s a rough forecast, but one that comes with plenty of discussion.
The Brutal Reality of a Post-Giannis World
It’s no secret the Bucks are pivoting hard after Giannis Antetokounmpo’s departure, and the external predictions reflect a serious lack of faith. ESPN picked them to finish with a dismal 25-57 record, good for 14th place in the Eastern Conference. Ouch. Sports Illustrated, pulling an average from Chris Mannix, Liam McKeone, and Blake Silverman, saw things even worse, predicting a 24-58 record and dead last in the East at 15th place. There was no deep dive into that specific prediction, just the raw numbers.
Stephon Noh from The Sporting News echoed that 24-58 sentiment. His reasoning? Milwaukee was already a bad team when Giannis was out last year, posting a 15-31 record in those games. Now they have to live an entire season without him. Noh highlighted the collection of solid players on the roster, led by veterans Tyler Herro and Myles Turner, but didn’t mince words about the lack of “high-end talent.” He also pointed to a lot of young players who’ll get minutes but might not contribute to winning right away. And then there’s Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey, who went even further, seeing the Bucks scrape together a mere 18 wins. He admits they’ve got “a decent collection of quality NBA players” and will “probably look pretty competitive” on some nights. But with a loaded Eastern Conference and no single superstar, Bailey believes the Bucks are prime candidates for last place, especially with a handful of veterans he thinks are “destined to be traded before February.” That’s a tough pill to swallow for any fanbase.
A Glimmer of Hope (Or Just a Deeper Roster?)
Now, it’s not all doom and gloom, right? The Bucks’ own community actually predicted them winning 31 or more games, which is a massive jump from what the national pundits are saying. And there’s one voice of mild optimism outside the fanbase: The Athletic’s John Hollinger. He sees the Bucks actually *exceeding* expectations, specifically surpassing BetMGM.com’s preseason over/under of 26.5 wins. What’s his secret sauce? He thinks one big consequence of the Giannis trade is a “much deeper roster” than last season.
He’s talking about the “grab bag of surplus Miami Heat players” they picked up: Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Tyler Herro, and Kasparas Jakučionis. Plus, that draft pick they got turned into Nate Ament. So, while they might lack a superstar, Hollinger’s angle is that sheer depth could push them past the lowest projections.
Watching the Young Bucks Grow
Regardless of the final win total, one thing is clear: this season is going to be a development year, especially for the young guys. Bleacher Report’s Bailey, even in his grim prediction, acknowledged that Milwaukee fans “should be treated to plenty of developmental minutes” from Brayden Burries and Nate Ament. Burries, at just 21 years old, reportedly “looked impressive” in Summer League, offering a peek at potential. Ament, on the other hand, is described as much more of a “project.”
So, while the wins might be scarce, and the national media is ready to write off the Bucks before the season even truly kicks off, it’ll be fascinating to see if that “deeper roster” and the growth of players like Burries and Ament can prove some of these early naysayers wrong. You’ve got to watch to find out, right?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Brew Hoop.
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