For Bucks fans, the excitement meter for this season is complicated. The franchise just walked into a new era after moving on from Giannis Antetokounmpo and trading him to the Miami Heat, and that kind of change wipes out the easy optimism that usually comes with a fresh start. At the same time, it also leaves Milwaukee with something it hasn’t had in a while: a roster full of unknowns worth watching.
That’s the tradeoff now. The Bucks are no longer building around arguably the greatest player in franchise history, and the league has already started treating them like a team on the way down.
But once the shock of the deal settles, there’s still a reason for fans to lean in. The season ahead may be uncomfortable, but it won’t be boring.
Milwaukee got Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kasparas Jakučionis back in the Antetokounmpo deal, then added rookies Brayden Burries and Nate Ament in the NBA Draft. The free-agent buzz has cooled off, but the roster now has enough new pieces to make this a true reset rather than a quick retool.
Herro is the obvious headliner in that group. He’s coming off a season in which he averaged 20.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game despite an injury-riddled year, and he’ll likely be the first option in Milwaukee. That alone makes the season worth monitoring, because it gives the Bucks a chance to see what Herro can do when the offense runs through him.
Jaquez Jr. brings his own momentum into the mix after a career year that included 15.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game. He also finished second in Sixth Man of the Year voting. If his role grows in Milwaukee, there’s a real chance to see another jump in production.
Ware and Jakučionis are the younger swings, but both could matter quickly. Ware logged plenty of minutes as Miami’s backup center in his sophomore season and finished just shy of a double-double, putting up 11.1 points and 9 rebounds per game while shooting 39.5% from 3-point range on three attempts a night. Jakučionis didn’t have the flashiest rookie year, but he showed flashes and shot 42.3% from deep.
Burries has already impressed this summer, while Ament comes with the kind of traits that point to real upside. Add in Ryan Rollins, who broke out last season with 17.3 points per game, and Ousmane Dieng, who was highly productive in his short time with Milwaukee, and the Bucks at least have a foundation to work with.
The roster also has a new voice guiding it. Milwaukee hired Taylor Jenkins as head coach after his six-season run with the Memphis Grizzlies, and that matters just as much as the personnel changes. A new coach and a remade roster can give a team a clearer identity faster than people expect.
None of this changes the reality that the Eastern Conference will be brutal. Milwaukee could absolutely end up near the bottom of the league. But even that comes with a certain kind of intrigue, because this season is less about a finished product and more about figuring out what the Bucks actually have.
The pieces are there. Now the question is how they fit together, and whether that’s enough to keep Milwaukee in the postseason conversation.
In Other News...
Kyle Kuzma Just Got A Much Clearer Bucks Opportunity
The Bucks offseason picture is looking a lot cleaner now that Peyton Watson is off the board, and that matters for a roster still trying to settle its wing rotation. With the front office likely done making moves, Kyle Kuzma suddenly has a much more straightforward path heading into the season, with his starting small forward spot appearing secure for now.
Kuzmas case is about more than just opportunity, too. His defensive work last season graded out above average among wings, giving Milwaukee reason to believe he can handle a meaningful role on both ends as the rotation takes shape. For a team that has been sorting through combinations all summer, that kind of clarity at small forward is no small thing. [Read more 🡒]
Grizzlies Still Have One Roster Hurdle Before Filling A Key Spot
NBA teams can keep three extra players on two-way contracts alongside the standard 15-man roster, giving younger or developmental pieces a chance to bounce between the league and the G League. Around the league, there are still plenty of those spots sitting open, with several clubs waiting to lock in deals that have been reported but not yet finalized.
For Milwaukee, one name to watch is Rafael Castro, whose expected agreement would help fill a lingering two-way opening. The Bucks are among the teams still sorting out that last layer of roster business, and until the paperwork is complete, the back end of the roster remains a work in progress. [Read more 🡒]
Giannis Just Reopened A Bucks Ending Fans Still Dream About
Giannis Antetokounmpo has once again given Bucks fans a reason to keep one eye on the past and the other on the future. In a podcast conversation, the former Milwaukee cornerstone said the city will always be in his heart and left open the possibility of a return after his time with the Miami Heat ends, even as he made clear that timeline is far from settled. It was the kind of comment that instantly pulls Milwaukee back into the orbit of a player who helped define the franchises modern peak.
For Bucks supporters, the emotional pull is obvious. Antetokounmpos Milwaukee rsum already includes two MVP awards, Defensive Player of the Year honors and the championship run in 2021 that ended the franchises long title drought. He stopped short of promising anything concrete, and his future in Miami is still unfolding, but even a loose hint of a possible reunion is enough to reopen a door plenty in Milwaukee have never really wanted to close. [Read more 🡒]