HOOPSAHOLIC

The Milwaukee Bucks enter the 2014-15 NBA offseason with no expectations for success. Literally none. But why are they so happy? The answer is simple: the Bucks think they’ve drafted a savior for their franchise in Jabari Parker. The pick may not show its value this season, but they know it will be fruitful in the years to come. 

For this season, the Bucks biggest hope should be that Parker meshes well with the young talent the Bucks already have, as well as new head coach Jason Kidd. The way Kidd made his grand entrance in Milwaukee really bothered me. First off, he bailed on the Brooklyn Nets after only one season. Secondly, he inquired about the Bucks job while the position was still being held by Larry Drew. I know the NBA isn’t filled with a bunch of morally sound people, but in any scenario… that’s a sketchy move. You aren’t supposed to go after another man’s job.. it’s one of the many rules of the “bro code” that men follow each and every day. But anyways… that should have nothing to do on how he performs as the Buck’s head coach, I was just stating that the dude wasn’t a “bro”.

Kidd will have a handful of young talent that he'll try to develop this season. I’ve already mentioned their top pick Jabari Parker, who many think will win the rookie of the year, but I’m most intrigued with forward Giannis Antetokonmpo AKA: "The Greek Freak". This dude looks like a longer Kevin Durant, if you can even imagine that. He’s only 19 years old, and is still very raw, but if he can improve and really get in the flow of an NBA game then Antetokonmpo could be a star in this league. Antetokonmpo just needs to put the pieces together. He averaged seven points per game last season with four rebounds, but I wouldn’t be surprised if those numbers jumped to 13 and eight this year. Kidd tried to experiment with him at point guard over summer league play, so it’ll be interesting how much he will do that once the season starts. 

Someone who performed well for the Bucks last season, despite the bad record was Brandon Knight. Knight averaged almost 18 points a game after he came over from the Pistons, and the Bucks will probably use Knight more as an off-guard this season with the additions of Jerryd Bayless and Kendall Marshall. The addition of those two point guards should also pay dividends for the Bucks as well. Marshall is one of the more under-rated passers in the entire league, and if he can find someone on the team who can score, then his assist numbers should be around eight per game. Also, in case you forgot... here's a video displaying Brandon Knight's great defense. At least he tried.... right?

The post-game for the Bucks this year should improve now that Larry Sanders is healthy. Last season he only played in 23 games, and it affected the Bucks in a major way seeing that they were ranked last in the league in defensive rating. It was only two years ago that Sanders had a monster season blocking almost three shots a game (and earning a 44 million dollar contract). The Bucks would like to see that production again from the young center. He will have to stay healthy and stay out of trouble for that to actually happen. They also have another promising big-man in Drew Henson. Last season Henson averaged 11 points and seven rebounds, and Kidd has hinted that Henson could even start this season. If that happens, it means Ersan Ilyasova would have to come off of the bench. Ilyasova is another player who showed a lot of promise two seasons ago, but struggled to get into a rhythm last season only averaging 11 points and six rebounds a clip. 

Let’s not forget about OJ Mayo, ladies and gentlemen. I mean this dude was once the most heralded high school recruit in the nation… but that was before he went to USC, and broke a lot of NCAA violations. Sounds a lot like Shabazz Muhammed too, right? But anyways, Mayo has always shown that he can score, but it’s the other aspects that need some tuning. I think when he signed with the Bucks last offseason, he believed he could carry a team and be the go-to-guy. Injuries put the brakes on that last season and he ultimately missed 30 games. Honestly I wouldn’t be surprised if OJ eventually becomes a bench scorer for the Bucks. Khris Middleton is another guy that showed promise last season, and should be a great contributer off of the bench. 

The Bucks are really set up similarly to the Orlando Magic. Both teams are stacked with young talent, and don't really have that one guy who seprates themselves from the rest of the pack as the "best player". Yes, Parker will end up being that player, but it will be interesting to see just how soon. It’ll be fun to watch this young group of players develop. 

The starting lineup for the Bucks will surely be fluid. Kidd hasn’t yet determined what position the “Greek Freak” will play. I also mentioned earlier that I wouldn’t be surprised if Mayo came off of the bench, but he could end up starting. Brandon Knight could eventually play the shooting guard position if Kidd feels comfortable enough starting Marshall or Bayless at the point. I would actually say there’s a ZERO percent chance that the starting lineup on opening night will be the same 82 games later.