Everywhere you look, the Milwaukee Bucks are being counted out. From an outsider's perspective, it probably makes sense. The team traded away the franchise star, Giannis Antetokounmpo — a pillar of the community who put Milwaukee on his back and ensured the team made the Playoffs year after year. But on the other hand, the trade arguably put them in a better position than they would've been in if Giannis had decided to stay.
So, while Milwaukee came out of this summer worse off from a morale perspective, the Bucks ultimately seem much better off from a roster construction standpoint, which seems to have caught the eye of one franchise icon who watched every recent iteration of this team up close and personal.
In taking to social media, Brandon Jennings said the following: "I believe the Bucks Make the playoffs this year. None of this has anything to do with 34. I’m looking at the Bucks team and the east. Bucks gone be alright."
Frankly, making the Playoffs in a crowded field is the best-case scenario for the Bucks this year.
Without control of their own first-round pick, Milwaukee doesn't have much incentive to try and lose. They'll want to sell tickets and retake control of the narrative surrounding this team, which means that under the newfound guidance of head coach Taylor Jenkins, the Bucks are going to try everything within their means to make a postseason push and prove that this roster is more than a collection of spare parts.
Brandon Jennings makes a good point: the Bucks might be closer to the Playoffs than we think they are.
The Eastern Conference is somehow stronger than it used to be, and as wide-open as ever. We can safely expect the reigning champion New York Knicks will try to make another title push, though no team has repeated in the last eight years, and it'll be nearly impossible to replicate their otherworldly playoff run next season.
Now that LeBron James and Jaylen Brown are in Philly, it's hard to deny they'll be one of the most fearsome matchups in the conference. And sure, Milwaukee's Midwest rival, the Indiana Pacers, should return to form after a gap year with Tyrese Haliburton recovering. But aside from them, is there anyone else that's making you shake in your boots?
After this summer's events, Miami, Boston, Detroit, Cleveland, and Toronto all have some genuine questions to answer about their roster construction and lineups, with noticeable shortcomings across the board. Everyone else is more of a Playoff hopeful than a lock, which leaves room for Milwaukee to re-establish a culture, find a winning rotation and sneak back into the Playoffs.
One way or another, this is going to be a more competitive team than last year's Bucks, which is all a fanbase could truly ask for when their team has faced the circumstances that Milwaukee has.
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