The Milwaukee Bucks are currently second in the Eastern Conference, but there’s no assurance they can make a deep playoff run. With Giannis Antetokounmpo out for a couple of games due to a hamstring injury, the biggest weaknesses of the Bucks roster were exposed for the Boston Celtics to exploit last night.
While the Greek Freak is doing everything he can to return to the roster as soon as possible, analysts believe that the rest of the team should not rely on him alone and start contributing to help the Bucks win another NBA title.
One analyst claims that the Bucks will not even make it out of the East with the condition they’re currently in.
Gilbert Arenas believes the Milwaukee Bucks won’t make it out of the East
Former Washington Wizards star Gilbert Arenas spoke to Shannon Sharpe on the latest Nightcap episode about the Bucks’ chances of winning the Larry O’Brien trophy.
will the Bucks get it together in time?🤔@ShannonSharpe @GilsArenaShow pic.twitter.com/yXUtXnkdVV
— Nightcap (@NightcapShow_) March 21, 2024
He basically said that they can’t win it all in their current condition:
Everyone has to do their part, understanding their roles. I don’t see them coming out of the East.
Their chemistry is not gonna be there. Middleton just coming back, Giannis is not there. When they all three get together, they gotta find that rhythm.
Sharpe agreed, pointing out to two particular role players who would need to step up in Antetokounmpo’s absence:
They didn’t get much out of Jae Crowder, played 15 minutes. They didn’t get much out of Malik Beasley, played 26 minutes. Between those guys and Brook Lopez, you got, what, 21 points? You need more than that from your starters. If Giannis is gonna be out—and I don’t know how long he’s gonna be out—but you gonna probably need 35 points between those three guys… I can’t have three guys playing those kinds of minutes giving me 21 points.
Understandably, it’s difficult to replace Giannis’ 30.8 PPG, 11.2 RPG, and 6.4 APG through role players. However, the rest of the roster needs to step up their production if they get experience the same dilemma in the playoffs.
Is Khris Middleton the answer for the Bucks?
However, it’s not only the role players who are getting doubts about their ability. Khris Middleton is even getting criticized by analysts for whether he is the right player to serve as the team’s third star.
Jonas Paneiro of Bucks Zone argues that Middleton gets injured too frequently to serve as the third star to the Bucks’ Big Three. However, it’s undeniable that whenever he’s on, he can perform better than his 2023-24 averages of 15 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 49/38/84 shooting splits.
The only way Middleton can make these critics shut up is to step up during the tail end of the regular season and the playoffs.
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