The biggest news for the Bucks this summer: they laid off Lillard and signed Turner.
My understanding is: the Bucks did everything they could to delay Giannis' departure.
In the spring, Lillard had a blood clot problem and his Achilles tendon was injured. The Bucks were sent away by Haliburton in the first round. Giannis publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with the team. Now Lillard still needs to recuperate, his return date has not been determined, and his return is not guaranteed to be in good condition. If the Bucks stand still and look back, Giannis may fall out and leave.
The Bucks couldn't afford to wait and had to do something, so they laid off Lillard: Give Lillard 20 million per year for the next five years so that they can have space now to sign Turner (100 million in four years) who previously eliminated the Bucks.
The Bucks next season are probably:
Kevin Porter Jr./Cole Anthony
Trent/Green/Rollins
Kuzma/Prince
Giannis/Coffey
Turner/Portis/Sims
Lopez averaged 13 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.9 blocks and 1.7 three-pointers per game last season, with a true shooting percentage of 62%. 2021 champion center.
Turner averaged 16 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, and 2.2 three-pointers per game last season, with a true shooting percentage of 61%. 2025 Eastern Conference Champion Center.
And Turner can occasionally switch defenses, while Lopez can only retreat: It’s a little more varied, right?
Turner can bring the Bucks' forward line back to the intensity of 2021: Like Lopez, he can provide space + blocks, and his movement will not slow down the Bucks' rhythm - Lopez was defeated by the Pacers last season, and it was Turner who defeated him. Of course, Turner's rebound position is not strong enough, but Giannis is used to collecting all rebounds.
Portis is still Portis.
After losing Lopez and Lillard, the Bucks now have a frontcourt: Giannis + Turner (replacing Lopez's rim protection + three-pointers) + Portis, which is not perfect, but it can be regarded as a change; after letting go of Luo Luo and Lillard, they continued to maintain their size and completed some rejuvenation.
"We have worked so hard, please Giannis, please stay!"
But the problem still remains:
Kuzma's vision, KPJ's shot selection, Trent's offensive role... The team's most alert seems to be AJ Green?
The coach's precise and timely control can help the team on the spot - and the Bucks coach is Lao Li and Hamm.
The backcourt is...Kevin Porter Jr.?
Last season against the Pacers, the Bucks lost every game: In the first game, Haliburton and McCone had a series of pick-and-rolls in the second quarter, which stunned the Bucks. Kuzma station 3, the data is a duck egg.
In the second game, the Bucks started to use Giannis + Portis twin towers, Kuzma stood in space 4, and once made a big reversal: However, at the critical moment, they lost to Nembhard. In the two deciding rounds, Kuzma and Portis overlapped in position, leaving Siakam empty.
Lillard was injured midway through the third game.
At the end of the elimination battle, Trent skated.
The frontcourt group and Giannis can guarantee the lower limit, but what about the on-the-spot decision-making in the backcourt? Who has the highest football intelligence on the team?
In 2021, Holiday and Mitton controlled the court. At that time, Giannis and Lopez stood at 4 and 5, and the Bucks' defense was as stable as a mountain; when Giannis stood at 5, the Bucks' offensive and defensive rhythm naturally promoted, and he only needed to dominate the penalty area.
Then, the Bucks have won four playoff games in the past three years.
Looking back now, the seven games against the Celtics in 2022 were their last glory.
What about next season?
If there are any changes to the Bucks next season, I think it depends on Kevin Porter Jr.
He has a lot of troubles on and off the court, but like all troublemaking geniuses, he has a kind of "you are a monster because you have talent, right" motivation:
The height of a combo guard, weird dribbling (many of his moves are copied from Harden), he can shoot but is unstable, and can make gorgeous moves to make up for confrontations.
He played well last season, and there were always a few rounds when the entire Bucks team went crazy.
The Bucks currently don't have as many smart people on the team as in 2021, and they can't play too smart basketball. Giannis leads the way, but he is almost 31 years old. We cannot expect him to do everything in the regular season and still be healthy in the playoffs.
If Kevin Porter Jr. can lead the team to a roaring rhythm of gangsters on a daily basis, making Trent and the little princes go crazy, Kuzma chases a few times, the bench dances, and Giannis stuns the opponent with a dunk, then the Bucks will automatically enter the crazy state of "We are invincible today", and then all deer will run together, while Giannis can have a stat like 24 points in 28 minutes, sit down and rest, and prepare for the next game.
Of course, even if KPJ can't play, the Bucks can make the playoffs next season - Giannis has this ability.
Since LeBron left the Cavaliers, Giannis has almost always been the best player in the East - Embiid will be the regular season MVP in 2023, and Jaylen Brown will be the Finals MVP in 2024, but I still have to say this - and in the MV last season After finishing third in P votes (since 2017, his regular season MVP votes: seventh, sixth, first, first, fourth, third, third, fourth, third) his accumulated MVP votes have surpassed Harden, approaching Kobe, Duncan, Postman and Shark.
Among the Eastern Conference players in history, those who received more MVP votes than Giannis: LeBron, Jordan, Bird, and Russell. This is the full list.
Last season, he averaged 30 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists per game - both he and Jokic have already entered the "Why do you guys look so familiar with this data? It seemed like it was the same last year" - In addition, he had 200 dunks for the second consecutive year (Gobert's sixth consecutive year, of course, both of them The dunking method is completely different), and the most terrifying thing:
He is not only the first person in the league to make shots at the basket (561, second in the league with 200 shots), but also the fifth person to make mid-range shots (top four: DeRozan, Alexander, Booker, Durant). At the beginning of last season, when he started taking mid-range shots seriously, everyone thought he was just practicing for fun; but at the end of the season, suddenly, he shot nearly KG.
In addition to three-point shooting and the ability to draw space, apart from putting pressure on the ball and being unable to stand 5 for a long time, I don’t think there is anything more to criticize. His current situation is indeed similar to KG during the Timberwolves:
Year after year he produces unique statistics, and carries the league's heaviest offensive and defensive tasks year after year. But everyone thinks he is a monster and so they take it for granted. All the criticisms of him will eventually end up as "but he didn't make it far in the playoffs" - of course he is luckier than KG. He does not have to leave Milwaukee and has a ring.
But will Giannis be satisfied with just one ring?
In the European Championships in the summer, Greece was eliminated by Türkiye. Shen Jing made 5 of 15 shots and had 15 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists. Giannis made 6 of 13 shots and had 12 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists. Türkiye won that day with Osmani's 28 points and 6 three-pointers.
In the national team and the Bucks, Giannis probably has a bit of "training me again?!"
He will be 31 years old at the end of the year; in two seasons, his contract will have player options.
The Milwaukee Bucks know this countdown better than we do. So back to the topic:
What the Bucks did can be understood as "(We know that this may not lead to the championship) as long as you don't leave, anything is fine!"
Good news for the Bucks:
SHAMS said that besides the Bucks, the only team Giannis would consider playing for is the Knicks.
Bucks: Is this good news?
——But the Knicks have already used five draft picks on Bridge, and there are not so many picks available...
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