Milwaukee Bucks don’t need another superstar to be ‘scary’

Some believe the Milwaukee Bucks require another traditional superstar in order to be viewed as a scary team. That isn’t the case, especially in the East.

It’s shaping up to be quite the season for the Milwaukee Bucks. Just over halfway through the campaign, the team has posted a league-best 36-6 record. Despite losing Malcolm Brogdon to the Indiana Pacers this offseason, Mike Budenholzer’s player-friendly system hasn’t lost a single step.

The Bucks currently lead the NBA in points per game and defensive rating, thoroughly dominating on both ends. Reigning league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo has put together an even better 2019-20 season, posting averages of 30.0 points, 12.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game while implementing a 3-point shot into his arsenal.

Maintaining his status as a top-five player in the league, his superstar presence has guided the team to a stellar first half.

Although Milwaukee certainly appears to be one of the NBA’s premier teams and could post the best record in team history this season, some still aren’t buying all the way in. In a recent segment on ESPN’s The Jump, Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen responded with this when host Rachel Nichols asked whether the Bucks strike fear into their opponents:

"“Not quite. Not yet. Giannis is bringing a lot, but in this league you have to have two megastars. That’s when people fear you… you have to have some dominant players and when I look at the Milwaukee Bucks, they’ve really got one dominant player."

While Pippen is correct in his assessment that Milwaukee has just one dominant player, that surely didn’t stop last year’s NBA champion Toronto Raptors from accomplishing their ultimate goal. Opponents feared Kawhi Leonard and the well-constructed team Nick Nurse and Masai Ujiri put together.

Depth and coaching can offset a lack of elite talent. On top of that, discounting Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe is risky. They aren’t stars, but they serve as perfect complementary pieces to Antetokounmpo.

More from Hoops Habit

• 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
• Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
• Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
• Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
• NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers

The Eastern Conference is uber-competitive in the second tier of teams. Boston is thriving with Kemba Walker at the helm, the Miami Heat have found new life behind Jimmy Butler and a myriad of young players and both the Raptors and Pacers could play spoiler come playoff time.

That’s without even bringing up the sixth-place Philadelphia 76ers, a team tabbed by some as the East’s NBA Finals representative ahead of this season.

Because of this competitive balance within the conference, Milwaukee should be feared without having multiple superstars. The only team with a one-two punch would be Philadelphia and Brett Brown’s bunch has yet to assert dominance. The rest of the East features teams built like Milwaukee — one star with multiple building blocks surrounding him.

This year’s Milwaukee Bucks team is a force to be reckoned with. Posting a higher point differential through 42 games than the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors and 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, it makes little sense to not consider them scary.

Perhaps the respect will have to wait until the postseason. In the meantime, sit back and enjoy one of the better teams the game has recently witnessed.