Milwaukee Bucks: Predicting team record, playoff outcome in 2022

The Milwaukee Bucks finally overcame years worth of frustration and disappointment to reach the top of the mountain and become NBA champions last season. They benefitted from injuries to Brooklyn Net stars and Kevin Durant wearing the wrong sized shoe, but every champion gets some luck along the way.

They’re a worthy victor, but to get true credit in the NBA, teams need to follow up their title season with a strong defense. A second-round upset next season wouldn’t just be a disappointing end to a season, it would cast a poor light on the championship before it.

The Milwaukee Bucks reached the mountaintop last season, winning the NBA championship. Will they be able to repeat or be remembered as one-hit wonders?

On the other hand, another run to the Eastern Conference Finals or later would be better suited as a follow-up and repeating as NBA champions would establish them as a truly great franchise with a chance at dynastic glory.

With a player like Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the way, the Bucks should be on the fringe of greatness at the very worst for a very long time. And they have a wide window of championship opportunity thanks to having Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday on long-term deals, so another championship or two with this trio on board wouldn’t be impossible to foresee.

Still, they’ve got to get through the coming season, and it’s not going to be easy to repeat if the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers are healthy this time around.

As the Bucks return with all hands on deck next season (aside from P.J. Tucker, departed for the Miami Heat), here’s our prediction for their record:

Milwaukee Bucks 2021-22 record: 54-28

The Bucks are a team that has historically crushed all comers in the regular season, at least under Mike Budenholzer. They out-talent almost every team in the league, they play with great effort on a nightly basis, and their basic gameplan takes advantage of the shooting flaws that all but the best teams in the NBA have.

Sticking to that gameplan too long cost them in the past, whereas spending time working on a more fluid switching system cost them wins in the regular season but paid off in the NBA playoffs.

Now the Bucks have a championship under their belt, and after a long and grueling regular season and postseason, there may be some hangover in play. This total of 54 wins represents a slight increase on last season’s 46-26 record, which worked out to a 52.4-win pace over the course of an 82-game season.

The regular season doesn’t mean much for this team now, not after winning an NBA championship. So here’s our prediction for their 2021-22 playoff outcome:

Lose 4-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Brooklyn Nets

It took a heroic effort from the Milwaukee Bucks to defeat Kevin Durant and a one-legged James Harden and the Nets last season (the Nets were up 2-1 in Game 4 when Kyrie Irving suffered a season-ending injury). The Bucks are back at full strength, but so are the Nets. Unfortunately for this Milwaukee squad, the health status of these Net superstars is the most important thing.

Assuming the Nets finish first in the East and the Bucks finish second, the Eastern Conference Finals becomes the most likely meeting place for the 2020-21 champions to be dethroned.