National Basketball Association

Milwaukee Bucks: Three Key Players To The Bucks' Future Success

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 6:35 p.m. ET

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Nov 26, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Jabari Parker (12) and guard Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. The Bucks defeated the Timberwolves 103-86. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

As the Milwaukee Bucks prepare to take the next step in their progression, we explore the three players that will key this team’s success

The premise of this article is pretty straightforward. Every year there are teams who have the underrated potential to be eventual playoff spoilers. Yet whether because of as of yet unproven talent, or because of a general lack of attention towards said team, this team (or teams) tend to fly under the radar.

So what team has the real potential to unexpectedly scare the collective pants off of the rest of the NBA?

The Milwaukee Bucks: All (Young) Length Everywhere

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It was just two seasons ago that the Milwaukee Bucks were essentially seen as bonafide NBA darlings.

They were winning at an above .500 rate, the Greak Freak was already showing flashes of being awesome, Brandon “Murdered By Deandre Jordan” Knight was playing like he actually wasn’t the victim of a massively televised homicide, and Khris Middleton began looking like the best basketball playing alien in the NBA.

Even after a somewhat baffling exchange of Brandon “Dead” Knight for Michael Carter-Williams, signs were overall still pointing upward for Milwaukee; even after they suffered a disappointing (if expected) loss in the first round of the playoffs to the Chicago Bulls with a regular season 41-41 record.

They had a swarming defense that ranked 4th in the NBA; their 26th ranked offense was not nearly as potent but with so many of the core players on the team being young high upside players with questionable jump shots, such offensive struggle was at least somewhat expected.

Then, in the offseason, they went and signed Greg Monroe, who was supposed to be the post presence to stabilize the roster, even though most analysts predicted from the get go that Monroe’s poor post and perimeter defense might completely derail the team. Yet Monroe was nevertheless signed, with it seeming that the executives in Milwaukee figured that overall talent would simply win out, regardless of context and fit issues.

Alas, that rarely happens.

For the 2015-16 season, expectations were higher, and many pundits fully expected the Bucks to be a strong playoff contender. That didn’t exactly happen, and the Bucks immediately stumbled out of the gate. Opposing teams figured out that the Bucks were more or less athletically coasting on their defense with little discipline, and figured out that they could pick apart the Bucks’ defense with smart passing and quick actions.

Further compromising their defense was Monroe, who as a primary rim protector got repeatedly burned both in screen and switch actions by guards and by skilled and bigger big men in the post; resulting in his unsightly 107.5 defensive rating.

However, after all that, the team still has a very high upside for the upcoming season. If the core players continue on a natural progression and become more disciplined defensively, their is definitive potential for them to be a scary defensive team.

Their shortest starter is around 6-foot-6 or 6-foot-7, and their tallest is at least 6-foot-11: they boast enough length and athleticism to guard two modestly sized high school teams at once. They have three players in particular who are the main keys to Milwaukee’s future success.

Apr 3, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) drives for the basket as Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (21) defends during the fourth quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Chicago won 102-98. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Giannis Antetokounmpo

The Greak Freak is already awesome, but he is only getting better at his ripe old age of 21. After the All Star break last season, head coach Jason Kidd switched Giannis into the role of primary ball handler, and the results were immediately eye-opening.

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He went from averaging 15.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists before the break to averaging a ridiculous 18.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per each of the 28 games after the break. With an almost complete offensive arsenal on the perimeter, post, and in transition, Giannis will only become more of force as he rounds out his game with a more consistent jumper.

There was even evidence of improvement in that: he went from a putrid .239 three point percentage before the break to a slightly less awful .286 percentage after; evidently more usage for Giannis lead to more efficiency. This held true for his FG% as well, which slightly increased from .505 to .509. (regarding before and after the break).

Defensively, Giannis also has shown evidence of being frankly ridiculous. Six-foot-11 tall, athletic, laterally quick, and with a 7-foot-4 wingspan, the Greak Freak has insane measurements with which he has shown the ability to more than properly utilize.

His body has also developed into being a strong 222 pounds, and combining this with Giannis’s speed, length, and quickness, and you have a player who has the ability to legitimately guard 4 positions with an occasional 5th.

Apr 23, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Khris Middleton (22) during game three of the first round of the NBA Playoffs against the Chicago Bulls at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Chicago won 113-106. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Khris Middleton

Khris “Khash Money” Middleton is another player on the Milwaukee Bucks who has shown to be a highly effective player. At 6-foot-8, 234  pounds, and with a 6-foot-11 wingspan, just at first glance Middleton has an excellent NBA body for a small forward. He’s both strong enough to guard his own classic positions (shooting guard and small forward), and quick enough to capably guard point guards on switches or on specific individual matchups.

Offensively, Middelton is almost equally as valuable. A career .382 three-point shooter, Middleton has always proved to be a more than adequate threat from the outside, and also is a very effective post player; being able to utilize his body effectively against many smaller guards.

The advanced statistics also heavily favor Middleton, as his on/off splits with Milwaukee have been consistently telling. In the 2015-16 season alone he had a +12.6 net rating, and it is only more evident with more perusal at the stats that Milwaukee’s offense essentially collapsed when he sat down: their offensive rating went from a more than respectable 107 when he plays, to a ghastly 98.6 when he was on the bench.

Overall, Middleton looks extremely valuable at the outset, and advanced statistics only further prove it. It’s pretty clear that the loss of Middleton for the foreseeable future will only hurt the Bucks. That doesn’t change the fact that he’s still a big part of this team’s future.

Apr 10, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Jabari Parker (12) drives to the net as Philadelphia 76ers forward Jerami Grant (39) defends during the first quarter of the game at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports

Jabari Parker

Jabari Parker is a very interesting player. And by “interesting”, I mean “pretty weird”.

He is 6-foot-8, with a 250 pound body who moves surprisingly quickly for his size, who has  limited range on his jumpshot. Is he a small power forward who is faster than others at his position, but struggles against size and can’t stretch the floor?

Or is he a small forward who doesn’t space the floor and who isn’t fast enough to guard other small forwards? Is he something in between that actually produces more than he takes away? At this point, its pretty hard to tell. It is difficult to analyze a positionally amorphous player who has played one year on a struggling team.

There’s a reason that when people are asked their opinion about Jabari Parker, many people often give the vocal equivalent of a shrug. However, at the very least, he is interesting, and a video like this shows some striking reasons why.

At the very outset of the video, in the first three highlights you see immediate examples of Parker’s sneaky fast twitch explosiveness. On three separate plays, he catches a pass a few feet from the hoop, clutches the ball, and dunks with only one or no preparatory dribbles.

Moves like these are solid indicators that the player who did them has very developed fast twitch muscles. In this package of highlights and others, he also demonstrates a comfortable and convincing midrange jumpshot. This range does not seem to as of yet consistently extend to the three point line, but based on his relative midrange prowess it does appear that he has the potential to space the floor.

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Around the 1:06 mark, you also see an example of his ability to quickly slash to the hoop for efficient takes. If he has a step on a player he is very comfortable taking him to the basket.

Other than cuts, slashes and midrange jumpers, the rest of Parker’s game looks pretty unusual in today’s NBA. In his higher scoring games, he either scores a lot in transition (which is not always a great indicator of scoring prowess), or he makes very difficult midrange jumpers often taken from the mid or high post, or he makes bizarre running hook shots.

It is very difficult to predict off of one year if he will be able parlay those seemingly inefficient looks into consistent production. At least in my opinion, I do not find Parker’s ceiling to necessarily be as high as someone like Giannis. It may be, but projecting his career path does not appear to be as easy as it has been for other former number three picks.

He could feasibly either end up being a franchise cornerstone, or end up as a situational role playing scorer who can be taken out of games because of his lack of defensive competence. On a day to day basis, what position is Parker supposed to guard?

Maybe he has gained significant weight or has become more laterally quick, but if he hasn’t than his defensive question marks will likely be magnified.

Overall, the Milwaukee Bucks appear to have a very high ceiling for their future; however it is not definitive whether it will be reached .

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