Milwaukee Bucks: Who is in consideration for 2018-19 NBA awards?

Executive of the Year

In contention: Jon Horst

Last season’s Milwaukee team was by definition competitive, qualifying for the postseason with a record above .500. In the first round of the playoffs, they pushed the Boston Celtics to seven games. Yet at the end of the year it was clear this roster — not to mention the coaching staff — was flawed.

This was general manager Jon Horst’s moment. With a number of key pieces hitting free agency in July 2019, the window was tight for the Bucks to prove themselves. With Giannis Antetokounmpo’s own free agency only a few years away, the franchise could not survive a lost season.

Horst made the most of his opportunity, turning a 44-win team into a 60-win juggernaut. He added center Brook Lopez on a bargain one-year contract, and Lopez has been a critical piece on both ends as the starter. He also added Pat Connaughton to a low-cost, two-year contract, offloaded salary in a move that also brought in George Hill, and added Nikola Mirotic without giving up a first round pick or any real player asset — not to mention the hiring of Mike Budenholzer, which we will touch on in the next slide.

Elsewhere, the Toronto Raptors are materially better due to the guidance of Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster, adding Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green and Marc Gasol to a roster that was already strong; the Los Angeles Clippers have improved in the short- and long-term at the same time through a series of smart trades; and Travis Schlenk has turned the Atlanta Hawks from an asset-poor roster into one of the most exciting young teams out there.

In the end no executive raised his team as much, both this season and long-term. With so many front offices unable to put the roster around their stars to content, Horst’s greatest accomplishment may be convincing Giannis Antetokounmpo that Milwaukee is the best place to play the prime of his career.

Picks: Jon Horst (1st), Bobby Webster (2nd), Michael Winger (3rd)