Milwaukee Bucks: 3 big questions heading into 2018-19 NBA season

1. Can this Bucks team become a true Eastern Conference contender?

Last season the excitement around the Milwaukee Bucks was palpable. A strong finish to the 2016-17 NBA season had them as the Eastern Conference’s next great team — at least, along with the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers. They were commonly picked to finish with home-court advantage in the East.

Then the 2017-18 season happened, and despite relatively consistent health to their starters, the team struggled just to make the postseason. The bench churned due to injuries and poor performance, the starter at shooting guard was never settled, and the team slumped into the playoffs overall, losing to an undermanned Boston team.

Will this season be any different? Following the trend of this squad over the past decade, the Bucks are locked in and outperform expectations during odd years (i.e. this upcoming year is primarily in 2019) and underperform in even years. That pattern should see them take a step forward this year, most likely buoyed by a new head coach and one or more of the players on this team improving.

Yet the question will be answered in the postseason, and whether they can get over the hump and win a series. The answer to that question should be yes, but there are a lot of other teams pushing to achieve that same result. If Milwaukee can grasp the third seed, it will be ready to move on. Fall into the 4-5 matchup the Bucks could fall short once again.

Teams do not grow on a linear line. They do not slowly increase their win total year after year until ultimately winning a title. The league is too volatile, players too inconsistent and success too fleeting. Milwaukee should take the next step forward, but right now the pieces do not add up into a true contender. For them to fit into place, more than just Giannis will need to show up come playoff time.