The Bucks now know the road they’ll have to navigate in the Emirates NBA Cup, and it’s a group with no easy nights.
The NBA revealed the group draw on Wednesday, with the tournament set to begin on October 30. Milwaukee landed alongside the Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors, Orlando Magic and Brooklyn Nets, setting up a mix of contenders, rising young teams and a rebuilding club trying to turn the corner.
Detroit stands out first. The Pistons are coming off a 60-win season, their first since 2006, and they finished last year as the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference.
Cade Cunningham powered that leap, putting up 23.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 9.9 assists per game while shooting 46.1% from the field and 34.2% from 3. Jalen Duren also broke out, averaging 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds, while Ausar Thompson earned All-Defensive First Team honors and averaged two steals per game.
The Pistons also brought drama into the postseason, rallying from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Orlando Magic in the first round before falling in seven games to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Their offseason brought in Isiah Joe, John Collins, Taurean Prince, Gary Harris and Ebuka Okorie, while Tobias Harris, Caris LeVert and Isiah Stewart departed.
Contract negotiations with Duren have stretched through the offseason and even led to trade rumors. Detroit went 3-1 against Milwaukee last season, so the Bucks already know how tough that matchup can be.
Toronto is next, and the Raptors arrive with a 46-36 record and the No. 5 seed in the East. They pushed the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the first round and leaned on a deep, versatile group that featured six double-digit scorers.
Brandon Ingram, RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes formed the core, and Barnes in particular had a huge season. He averaged 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.5 steals while shooting 50.7% from the field, then followed it up with a strong playoff run of 24.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 8.6 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.7 blocks on 50.9% shooting and 38.1% from deep.
Toronto also made noise this offseason by trading for Kawhi Leonard and bringing him back to the franchise, though that move is on pause while the league investigates Leonard’s time with the Los Angeles Clippers. Even without him, the Raptors are still dangerous. They beat Milwaukee 3-1 last season, and if Leonard’s trade eventually goes through, Toronto’s ceiling gets even higher.
Orlando brings another familiar challenge. The Magic went 45-37 and came within one game of becoming the seventh No. 8 seed to knock off a No. 1 seed, but Detroit stopped them in the first round after that 3-1 lead slipped away. Jamahl Mosley is out after five seasons, and Sean Sweeney has been hired away from the Spurs to take over as head coach.
Paolo Banchero remains the centerpiece after averaging 22.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists in his fourth season. In the playoffs against Detroit, he raised that to 26.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 6.3 assists, with big nights like 45 points in Game 5 and 38 in Game 7 mixed in with some uneven stretches.
Franz Wagner also had a strong year despite appearing in only 34 games, and Desmond Bane added the shooting and scoring Orlando wanted when it traded for him last summer. Jalen Suggs, Anthony Black and Wendall Carter Jr. round out a talented rotation.
Brooklyn is the outlier in the group after a 20-62 season. The Nets are clearly in rebuild mode, but they did add some intriguing pieces.
They used the No. 6 pick on Mikel Brown Jr., then took Joshua Jefferson at No. 28 and Tyler Bilodeau in the second round. Michael Porter Jr. was given the freedom to attack, averaging 18.4 shot attempts and 24.2 points per game, while last year’s top pick Egor Dёmin posted 10.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists and shot 38.5% from 3-point range.
Milwaukee opens its NBA Cup schedule on November 6 against Toronto. The Bucks will have a difficult group to work through, but it also gives them a chance to measure themselves against some of the East’s best.
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