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Milwaukee Bucks Offseason Needs

True Point Guard to Come off of the Bence

After George Hill’s contract is officially up on July 1st, the Bucks won’t have a true player to come off of the bench to play behind Eric Bledsoe. Drafting Carsen Edwards or Ty Jerome could help Milwaukee fill this spot on their roster.

A Floor-Spacing Big Man to Compliment Ersan/Brook

On July 1st, when free agency opens, two of our big men (Brook Lopez and Nikola Mirotic) will become free agents. We will need another player to help space the floor and to shoot in the paint, even if Brook Lopez comes back. Drafting Eric Paschall, Daniel Gafford, Mfiondu Kabengele, or Luka Samanic could help Milwaukee fill the empty big man spot on the roster.

Consistent 3-and-D Wing

After free agency begins, the Bucks will NEED a wing that can defend the three point line, and get back to score from behind it. Especially if Khris Middleton decides to take his talents elsewhere, the Bucks will NEED a player to fill this role. Drafting Chuma Okeke, Grant Williams, Admiral Schofield, or Isaiah Roby would help fill this role that the Bucks need somebody to fill desperately.

Thanks for reading! This has been Bango’s Minute.

By: Matt

Milwaukee Bucks 2019 NBA Draft Preview

The 2019 NBA Draft will be held on Thursday, June 20th, 2019, at 7:30 PM Milwaukee Time (CST). The draft will take place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. You can watch the draft on ESPN. The draft consists of two rounds, each with 60 picks, where NBA teams select college or international basketball prospects, to earn the rights to giving that player a contract.

Now, onto the Bucks. The Milwaukee Bucks own 1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, only the 3rd time in 13 years that the Bucks have only had one pick. The Milwaukee Bucks own the last pick in the First round the (30th) selection due to having the best record in the NBA.

Bucks Mock Draft Selections:

ESPN (Best Available): Grant Williams – PF – Tennessee

A physical big man that has good post moves and can shoot jumpers decently. He is a little undersized for post play, can struggle against athletic players, and he is foul prone

CBSSports: Eric Paschall – PF – Villanova

A small ball four who can set screens and space the floor on the offensive end. He is a hustler with high basketball IQ, but he needs some improvement in the spot-up shooting department.

The Ringer: Chuma Okeke – SF – Auburn

An athletic defender and rebounder with an aggressive playing style. Can defend the wing and is showing good range from behind the three point line, with more consistency.

Bleacher Report: Daniel Gafford – C – Arkansas

Big time athletic ability with impressive play above the rim. Athletic and long, moves like a forward. Foul prone and could use a better set of post moves.

Yahoo! Sports: Ty Jerome – PG – Virginia

A role player that can knock down three point shots and is a great facilitator. He is not the most athletic person, but he is a crafty defender with quick hands.

Forbes: Carsen Edwards – PG – Purdue

An undersized guard that plays with passion. Easily creates open threes and has the power to create space and score over bigs in the lane. Edwards is a shoot-first type of player.

OTHER PROSPECTS (NBA.com):

Luka Samanic – F – Slovenia

Admiral Schofield – G/F – Tennessee

Isaiah Roby – F – Nebraska

Mfiondu Kabengele – F – Florida State

Dylan Windler – G/F – Belmont

The NBA Draft is on the 20th and the city of Milwaukee is hoping that GM John Horst can work more of his magic, bringing in more young talent to fiserv.forum and the city of Milwaukee.

Thanks for reading! This has been Bango’s Minute.

By: Matt

2019 NBA All Star Game; Giannis Antetokounmpo & Khris Middleton

The Milwaukee Bucks had a strong showing at the 2019 NBA All Star game in Charlotte, North Carolina. Giannis had the crowd on edge of their seat and standing up with dunks after dunk. Antetokounmpo finished with 38 points and 11 rebounds and would have had the game MVP if it wasn’t for the second half comeback by team LeBron. Middleton joined in also and hit a gang of shots on his way to 20 points. Team Giannis was coached by Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer who was awarded the honors due to his team having the best record in the Eastern Conference going into the All Star Break.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmAwJXU-8l0

2019 NBA All Star Game; Giannis Antetokounmpo & Khris Middleton

Nikola Mirotic Traded To Milwaukee Bucks

Milwaukee has pulled off a second trade and acquired Nikola Mirotic from the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Stanley Johnson, Jason Smith and four 2nd round picks. Stanley Johnson was traded by the Bucks just one day after the Bucks got him in exchange for Thon Maker.

The trade is a strong addition to the Milwaukee Bucks front court. With Mirotic now able to come in and hit outside shots and stretch the floor like Lopez and Ilyasova do. Having bigs that can do this will put constant pressure on defenses as the Bucks are able to pull other teams bigs out to guard respected shooters, leaving the lane open for players like Giannis and Bledsoe to drive at will.

Nikola Mirotic Traded To Milwaukee Bucks

Bucks Trade Thon Maker To Pistons For Stanley Johnson

Milwaukee Bucks have satisfied Thon Makers trade request and got him out of town before the Trade Deadline. The Bucks have shipped him to Detroit and in return the Pistons are sending back athletic wing and solid defender Stanley Johnson. Johnson was scoring 7.5 ppg and grabbing 3.6 rpg in 20 mins of action per night.

Stanley was drafted 8th overall out of Arizona in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons. Johnson is in the last year of his rookie deal and scheduled to become a Restricted Free Agent at seasons end. Thon Maker leaves Milwaukee after just 2 and a half seasons and hopes to gain quality mins in Detroit to establish himself in the league.

Bucks Trade Thon Maker To Pistons For Stanley Johnson

Bucks Hire Coach Mike Budenholzer

After this mournings Breakfest with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Mike Budenholzer the Bucks have their coach. The 2015 Coach Of The Year is now leading the underachieving and young Milwaukee Bucks team. Bucks Hire Coach Mike Budenholzer and this could be exaclty what they need to make that leap to the next level and compete with the Bostons and Philadelphia’s in the Eastern Conference.

Bucks Hire Coach Mike Budenholzer

Khris Middleton Named to 2018-20 USA Men’s National Basketball Team Roster

After a breakout year that saw him become the second man behind Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris will go to Las Vegas to try out for the National Men’s Team. Among those invited to the camp with him are Lebron James, Stephen Curry, and James Harden. Coaching those who get selected to the team will be Gregg Popovich, who may pass down a few tips to Khris. This selection comes as a shocker to NBA fans but not most of Bucks fans as many called him underappreciated and underrated for how he scores the ball.

This season was Khris’s first full season since the terrible hip injury he suffered in October of 2016. Khris mainly relies on a silky smooth fadeaway or stepback midrange jumper. While this type of scoring may limit him when he has an off night he finds other ways to score, this can be seen by looking at his PPG (Points Per Game) this season. He averages 20.4 points a game in 80 games this year. His point total is the highest of his career so far and he has played the most games in a year since 2013. That 2013 season was his first on the Bucks after being traded from the Pistons.

Khris Middleton Named to 2018-20 USA Men’s National Basketball Team Roster

In conclusion, this type of breakout season was much expected by Bucks fans and the honor of being named to the roster was very much motivation to Middleton. After months of rehab and hard work, Middleton was thankful for the honor saying this when asked about it.

“It’s an honor to be apart of that pool selection, to be invited to the Minicamp, and then also have a chance to represent the country in the Olympics.”

If selected the players would also compete in the 2019 World Cup. Because of qualifying games being played during the regular season the newly renamed NBA G-League has sent players to play for the team. For now, the USA is 4-0 in qualifying and well on their way to having a spot in the World Cup. If selected he will be apart of a 12 man team that will play in the 2020 Olympics.

By: Weston Olds

Giannis Antetokounmpo is a Defensive Menace

As is typical during the terminal stage of the regular season, media figures are beginning to turn attention to awards ballots; at least for those awards and All-NBA designations that are somewhat still in flux. Defensive Player of the Year and the All-Defensive teams are drawing particular interest. Consensus seems to be that—while still elite—Draymond Green’s play on that end has waned significantly enough as to not warrant top-ballot consideration. Rudy Gobert seems like a lock for many, unless you’re queasy about handing it to a guy who will end up with 56 games played. Kevin Durant and Paul George have gotten their share of hype throughout the year for shot blocking and disruption on the wing, respectively.

Lost in all the talk (except for Zach Lowe bless his heart) is Milwaukee Bucks Swiss-Army defender Giannis Antetokounmpo. Three national articles during this past season have promoted George’s candidacy while Durant has enjoyed a seemingly season-long parade of adulation in the press: Antetokounmpo has zero mentions.

Looking at the numbers it’s hard to see why. For all of George’s active wing defense, opponents actually shoot 2.2% better when he’s guarding them while Antetokounmpo’s matchups shoot 4.6% worse. Durant garnered early attention for his rim protection, while over the course of the season Antetokounmpo has proven more impactful. When Durant defends a shot within 6 feet of the hoop, opponents shoot 6.1% worse as opposed to 7.2% worse when Antetokounmpo contests. Giannis also defends a larger share of shots at the rim, 41% as compared to 35% for Durant.

Taking a broader view of their impact as measured by Defensive Rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) the divide becomes even starker. When Durant is off the court, the Warriors defense is 6.2 points better while during George’s absence the Thunder defense remains roughly the same. Antetokounmpo taking a rest brings disastrous results for Milwaukee. The Bucks are 8.7 points worse on defense with him on the bench, by far the largest impact on the team.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is a Defensive Menace

But what about compared to the reigning DPOY? Despite league-wide recognition of a slight dip in effort, Kevin Pelton of ESPN selects Draymond Green as his First Team All-Defense Power Forward. Pelton says Giannis has “the most defensive upside…when fully engaged” while he excuses Green whose “intensity hasn’t been the same” when awarding him First Team honors, citing his being 28th in deflections per-36 and “a plus rim protector for the position”. (Notable names ahead of Green in the deflections per-36 category are Russell Westbrook and Corey Brewer; two players not generally lauded for defense.)

Antetokounmpo and Green have nearly identical steal percentages and Giannis rates as a better rim protector. Differences in defensive ratings show Giannis as the superior player, with a positive impact more than eight points better than Green’s and a Defensive Player Impact Plus-Minus (DPIPM) much higher than Green’s as well. (DPIPM is a statistic from Nylon Calculus’ Jacob Goldstein which measures +/- accounting for opponent quality and other factors). In the defensive categories of overall shooting, 3pt shooting and shots within 6 feet, Antetokounmpo holds opponents to a lower percentage across the board.

All of this is not to say Antetokounmpo is deserving of the award hands down, but simply of consideration rivaling that of his peers. Rudy Gobert and Joel Embiid have been tremendous on the season while each having the additional bump of anchoring a Top-5 defense. Milwaukee’s defensive struggles make overlooking an elite defender on a middling team somewhat understandable, but it is encouraging to envision that with a schematic overhaul and defensive team success a DPOY could easily be in Antetokounmpo’s future.

By: Daniel Gaenslen