The Milwaukee Bucks head into the 2026-27 season in a very different place after trading Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat this offseason. That move stripped away the obvious expectations, but it also opens the door for a few players on the roster to take real steps forward.
One of the biggest swings here is Kel'el Ware. The prediction is that he doesn’t just improve - he wins the NBA’s Most Improved Player award and becomes Milwaukee’s best player.
Ware has the look of a rare big man: a 7-foot walking double-double who can space the floor. With a bigger role and more minutes, his numbers should jump.
He averaged 11 points and 9 rebounds in just 22 minutes, and the projection is for that to rise to around 16 and 12.
Another player set up to matter is Ousmane Dieng. After Milwaukee acquired him from the Oklahoma City Thunder last season, there wasn’t much reason to assume he’d become a foundation piece.
He hadn’t shown much in Oklahoma City. But in 30 games with the Bucks, he looked like someone worth keeping around, putting up 11.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.
He also dropped a career-high 36 points against the Houston Rockets in April and finished the year with momentum, which helped him land a three-year, $17.5 million contract.
That could matter even more if the Bucks move Kyle Kuzma, which would clear a path at forward. Rookie Nate Ament will need time before he’s ready for a starting job, and Dieng already has the edge in experience. He flashed in a season that had little structure, and the belief here is that a new coach and a more defined setup will help him settle in as a starter.
The team prediction is more modest: Milwaukee should finish with a similar record to last season, but end up last in the Central Division. The Bucks had a rough year already, and the return for Antetokounmpo wasn’t as bleak as some might say, but this still doesn’t look like a team built to pile up wins.
Last season, Milwaukee finished one game ahead of the Bulls and 13 games ahead of the Pacers. The expectation is that Indiana gets back to the playoffs, while Chicago’s young players may squeeze out a few more wins. If that plays out, the Bucks wind up at the bottom of the division.
In Other News...
Myles Turner Gives The Bucks Stability They Desperately Need
Myles Turner is settling in as exactly the kind of presence the Bucks needed heading into the season. Expected to remain in Milwaukee, he arrives with a clear role as the starting center and brings value beyond the box score, giving the team a stabilizing force on the floor and a veteran voice around the locker room as the franchise tries to keep its focus on winning now.
There is still some uncertainty attached to Turners long-term fit, and that could be revisited as the season unfolds. For the moment, though, the Bucks are leaning into what he offers right away - chemistry, leadership and help in player development - while trying to stay competitive without the benefit of a high draft pick to lean on later. [Read more 🡒]
Bucks May Have Finally Found Their Middleton Replacement
The Bucks have spent more than a year trying to patch the scoring hole left when Khris Middleton moved on, and the search has pushed them to look beyond a direct one-for-one replacement. Jaime Jaquez Jr. gives them a different kind of answer on the wing, one built less on Middletons shot-making profile and more on efficiency, physical play and steady all-around production. He arrives as a new option for a team that has been looking for another dependable source of offense to ease the burden on its core.
Jaquezs case is rooted in what he already showed last season, when he averaged 15.4 points, five rebounds and 4.7 assists off the bench. For Milwaukee, that kind of production matters because it suggests he can do more than just occupy a role, and there is already a path for him to push toward the starting small forward job. The real question now is how quickly he can translate that bench success into a larger responsibility and whether the Bucks will decide he is the best fit to help fill a vacancy they have been trying to solve for quite some time. [Read more 🡒]
Bucks May Be Burying One Of Their Few Surprise Bright Spots
Cormac Ryan gave Milwaukee one of the quiet bright spots of the summer, turning a short run of opportunity into a stretch that hinted at more than a simple camp body. In 11 games, he looked efficient and confident, knocking down shots at a high rate and giving the Bucks a guard who could help in small bursts rather than just fill minutes.
The problem is where he fits next. Milwaukee already has established backcourt options, and the guard room has only gotten more crowded, which makes it hard to see a clear path to steady playing time unless the roster shifts again. Ryan has shown enough to belong in the conversation, but for now he looks more like a useful depth piece waiting for a break than a player with a guaranteed role. [Read more 🡒]