Amidst the myriad uncertainties that swirled around the Milwaukee Bucks entering the offseason, they have opted to maintain a sense of continuity by largely retaining the core that propelled them to the NBA’s top regular-season record, even though it concluded with a first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Miami Heat.
Noteworthy returns include Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, and Jae Crowder, while the departures of Jevon Carter, Joe Ingles, and Wes Matthews stand as the most conspicuous changes. As a result, the Bucks now boast a complete 15-player roster, with a solid contingent of 11 players reprising their roles from the previous season. Fresh faces on the team include veterans Malik Beasley and Robin Lopez alongside rookies Andre Jackson Jr and Chris Livingston.
With the roster now assembled, Milwaukee has seemingly rounded out their lineup for the upcoming offseason. Not including unforeseen trades, the roster presents a conspicuous gap, notably the absence of a backup point guard.
Adopting the positional designations from Cleaning the Glass—utilizing point guard, combo guard, wing, forward, and big—the composition of the Bucks’ 15-player roster is as follows:
- Point Guards: 1 (Jrue Holiday)
- Combo Guards: 1 (AJ Green)
- Wings: 4 (Grayson Allen, Pat Connaughton, MarJon Beauchamp, and Malik Beasley)
- Forwards: 4 (Middleton, Crowder, Livingston, and Jackson)
- Bigs: 5 (Lopez, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis, Robin Lopez, and Thanasis Antetokounmpo
The sole presence of Holiday at the point guard position raises significant questions about the strategic choices made by General Manager Jon Horst during this offseason. As evident from the breakdown above, the Bucks have only two individuals categorized as point guards or combo guards, with a noteworthy caveat that, in my view, Green should be classified as a wing player. On the flip side, an astonishing nine players are designated as forwards or bigs.
Relying heavily on Holiday’s ball-handling prowess can potentially court disaster. Already shouldering the mantle of the team’s premier perimeter defender, a demanding role that extracts considerable energy, Holiday’s dual responsibility of orchestrating the offense and marking the opposing team’s top perimeter threat has played a part in his postseason struggles in recent years.
The issue of turnovers compounds the concern. Holiday encountered turnovers on 13.4 percent of his offensive possessions last season, placing him in the 28th percentile among all point guards, per Cleaning the Glass. These figures more or less align with his career averages and are unlikely to witness a radical shift at this juncture of his career.
It’s essential to note that the turnover problem extended beyond Holiday, enveloping the entirety of the Bucks squad in Mike Budenholzer’s final season, where they ranked 17th in turnover percentage.
New head coach Adrian Griffin’s strategy likely encompasses distributing the ball-handling responsibilities more evenly across the roster to alleviate the load on Holiday. Notable players such as Middleton and Antetokounmpo are poised to take on significant roles in running the offense and initiating plays for the team.
Nonetheless, even considering the substantial ball-handling responsibilities these players are expected to assume, the Bucks are still short by one to two proficient ball-handlers. Entrusting individuals like Connaughton, Allen, Crowder, or Beauchamp with such a role carries risks, given their limited track record in showcasing prolonged competence in ball-handling duties.
It’s crucial to underscore that the offseason remains a fluid period, and potential roster moves could reshape the landscape. Should such developments occur, the apprehensions outlined above may lose their relevance. However, as things stand, there are valid reasons for worries regarding the Bucks’ roster configuration if no changes are enacted prior to the upcoming season.