Milwaukee Bucks: 5 takeaways from 2017-18 NBA season

2. The center rotation is uncertain and unreliable

After a strong finish to the 2016-17 season for the Bucks, they looked to be a team on the rise. With an encouraging run from rookie center Thon Maker and a Sixth Man of the Year candidate Greg Monroe, center seemed to be locked down.

Then the season happened, and Maker regressed in a major way. Monroe, proven to be subpar as a starter with this group, was shipped to Phoenix in return for point guard Eric Bledsoe. That elevated John Henson to the starting lineup, where he gave the Bucks a raised floor and a lowered ceiling.

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For the Bucks to be truly successful, they need to space the floor around Giannis Antetokounmpo on offense. That means either playing Antetokounmpo at the 5, or having a center who can hit outside shots. That should be Maker, but outside of a strong postseason, he was unreliable this season.

The answer also wasn’t Tyler Zeller, acquired just prior to the trade deadline. The former Cavalier, Celtic and Net plays with a high motor and is a solid third center, but he doesn’t fix the spacing problem either.

It’s easy to say Antetokounmpo should play more at center, but his slight frame — although strong — does not have the bulk to bang full-time with the league’s largest players. It also puts more pressure on the rest of the rotation to produce more high-level wing minutes. Antetokounmpo can play at the 5 in high-leverage situations, but it cannot be the full-time answer.

Perhaps the answer is Thon Maker, who helped the Bucks push to a Game 7 in a hard-fought playoff series. His ability to shoot from outside and protect the rim is unique and invaluable. But what if he regresses again to start next season? The answer is unclear, but the need to ask the question is evident from this past year.