Milwaukee Bucks: 5 takeaways from 2017-18 NBA season

The Milwaukee Bucks began the 2017-18 NBA season with high hopes, and ended exactly where they did last season. What are five takeaways from their season?

The Milwaukee Bucks were a team on the rise at the start of the 2017-18 NBA season. A year after riding the ascension of Giannis Antetokounmpo all the way to the postseason, the stage was set for another step into the top of the Eastern Conference.

Some pieces of that rise came through, including the continued development of Antetokounmpo from star to superstar. But others absolutely did not, and the season contained more confusion and disappointment for Milwaukee fans than it did success and excitement.

The season ended for the Bucks in a Game 7 against a team without its two best players. Although the Boston Celtics were undermanned, they had the backing of a superior coach and an organizational culture built on stability and empowerment. Those words do not describe the Bucks’ season in any way.

As Milwaukee now looks to the offseason and the myriad of decisions that await, the season that was looms large. What happened this year to get the Bucks to where they are? And what can fans and the Bucks organization take away from what transpired to help them better understand how to move forward?