Assessing the Milwaukee Bucks needs ahead of NBA free agency

The Milwaukee Bucks could use some help for the playoff rotation portion of their roster.

One area the Celtics exposed in the playoffs was the MilwaukeeBucks playoff rotation has holes. Wesley Matthews had his moments defensively against Jayson Tatum, but it was not enough to replace what P.J. Tucker provided defensively during the Milwaukee Bucks’ run to the title in 2021.

Matthews is a free agent, and Horst has expressed bringing the veteran back. Matthews is still good enough to be a part of a playoff rotation, but he might be better served coming off the bench.

The Bucks also got good news when Pat Connaughton announced he was exercising his player option.

He is another vital playoff rotation player. Brook Lopez is still a solid rim protector who can space the floor with his three-point shooting. The problem is Lopez will be a free agent and 35 after the season ends.

That is why re-signing Portis is all the more important. Portis is improving and can eventually take over the starting center position.

Grayson Allen had a good season during his first year in Milwaukee, however, he struggled in the Boston series. George Hill was part of the playoff rotation, but he had an awful playoff series against the Celtics. Also, his production declined.

The Bucks head into the season probably needing to find an upgrade over Matthews and move him down in the rotation. They will also need to add another player to replace Hill as a playoff rotational player. That is why the backup point guard that the Bucks need has to be a playoff rotational caliber player.

The Bucks bench struggled to score without Middleton, so a scorer to play behind Middleton should be another playoff rotation type player.