There are just a few players in the NBA that can lead their team to a championship and the Milwaukee Bucks are fortunate to have one of these players.
Giannis Antetokounmpo may not have won the NBA’s MVP award during the 2021-22 season and he may not have won back-to-back titles with the Bucks, but The Greek Freak continues to prove why he is the best player in the world and he ended up being the only unanimous selection to the All-NBA First Team for the 2021-22 season.
Finishing with a 51-31 record this past season, tied for the second-best record in the Eastern Conference with the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics, the Bucks walked into the playoffs as the 3-seed looking to defend their recent NBA championship.
Ultimately, they fell short of this goal in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, losing in seven games to the Celtics due to the fact that they could not escape injuries.
Brook Lopez only played in 13 total regular season games due to a back injury early in the year that required surgery, both Pat Connaughton and George Hill missed chunks of time throughout the season and then in the postseason, Khris Middleton suffered a sprained MCL in the team’s first-round series against the Chicago Bulls, thus ending his season.
Without Middleton, Jrue Holiday and Giannis Antetokounmpo could only do so much against the league’s top defensive team, which is why they ultimately fell just short of beating Boston to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Now heading into the 2022-23 season, Giannis Antetokounmpo is getting better, Khris Middleton is going to be fully healthy and the Bucks have added depth where they were lacking just a few months back.
Could Milwaukee get back to the NBA Finals this upcoming year and win their second title in three seasons? The Bucks made a handful of moves this offseason and each one could be very important in terms of them being the team to beat in the Eastern Conference once again.
NBA Draft: Marjon Beauchamp (24), Hugo Besson (58)
Having a late first-round pick in this year’s draft, many anticipated the Bucks ending up with an older, more experienced player from this draft class that could end up playing right away.
MarJon Beauchamp is definitely not this kind of player, but with the upside he possesses and the fight he has shown in his life, this was a no-brainer move for Milwaukee to make.
Unlike many draft prospects who went from being a four- or five-star prospect to a first-round draft pick, Beauchamp grew up homeless and had to play at many different high schools all across the country due to numerous problems.
“There was a point that I didn’t really believe in myself,” Beauchamp told the media following this year’s draft. “I didn’t have any opportunities and I wanted to be in the league so bad.”
Deciding to skip playing college basketball in order to prepare for the 2021 NBA Draft with Chameleon BX, a training program based in San Francisco, MarJon Beauchamp dealt with more adversity when the coronavirus pandemic hit, effectively shutting down all gyms and spaces for training that he was utilizing in California. Promptly returning home, he then dealt with depression before joining a local junior college where Beauchamp ended up sticking out among the rest.
Joining the G League Ignite team this past year, Beauchamp continued to showcase his abilities as a two-way talent out on the perimeter and he ended up averaging 15.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. All of his hard work and dedication paid off on draft night, as the Bucks selected him with the 24th overall pick in the first round.
“I think all the adversity prepared me for this moment,” Beauchamp said. “The obstacles I had to go through to get here were a little different from everyone. Getting through the adversity made me who I am today and made me more thankful of my opportunities. I don’t want to lose this opportunity.”
Looking at the players and talent the Bucks got here in the draft, they definitely made out well compared to other teams picking in the back-end of the 2022 NBA Draft. MarJon Beauchamp still has a lot of work to do in order to be an effective player, but the potential is certainly there for him and if there is one thing Milwaukee knows about their rookie, it is that he is going to work his hardest to achieve his dreams of playing in the NBA.
Playing in the Las Vegas Summer League for the Bucks this past July, Beauchamp ended up averaging 12.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and shot 45.8% from three-point range in five total games.
As for Hugo Besson, the final pick of this year’s draft, he is nothing more than a “draft and stash” guy for Milwaukee that will have his progress overseas watched closely over the next couple of seasons. Besson will spend the 2022-23 season in France and he is an intriguing combo guard given his passing and shooting abilities.
The Milwaukee Bucks drafted for the future in the 2022 NBA Draft, which is fine given that they made moves to win right now in free agency.
Free Agency/Trades:
Re-Signed: F/C Bobby Portis (4yr/48.5M), F Wesley Matthews (1yr/2.9M), G Jevon Carter (2yr/4.3M), F/C Serge Ibaka (1yr/2.9M)
Additions: G/F Joe Ingles
Departures: G Donte DiVincenzo
Re-signing Bobby Portis was the main point of emphasis for the Milwaukee Bucks this offseason after he opted out of his $4.6 million player option for the 2022-23 season prior. While it was never in doubt that the two sides were going to get a deal done, the question was whether or not the Bucks would open up their checkbook for him.
They did just that, as the Bucks and Portis agreed on a four-year, near $48.5 million deal that has a player option again for the 2025-26 season.
Looking to keep what they had and “run things back” in hopes of getting back to the NBA Finals during the 2022-23 season, the Bucks also retained Wesley Matthews, Jevon Carter and Serge Ibaka. All three players figure to be key role players for this team and Matthews could possibly be the team’s fifth starter once again alongside Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez.
Letting Donte DiVincenzo walk was a tough call for the Bucks to make given that he was coming off his rookie contract, but the sense around the league pertaining to Milwaukee is that the team did not want to pay him given that they have a surplus of other players at the same position.
Grayson Allen, George Hill, Jevon Carter, Wesley Matthews and Pat Connaughton can all play on- or off-the-ball like DiVincenzo and Allen, Hill and Connaughton were already under contract for the Bucks heading into the offseason.
The team now also has veteran Joe Ingles, who is recovering from a torn ACL and likely won’t be ready until after the All-Star break, but he provides Milwaukee with another 40 percent-plus three-point shooter who understands his role out on the wing.
Ingles was also a finalist for the 2020-21 Sixth Man of the Year award, so he figures to be a big part of the Bucks’ plans during the second half of the 2022-23 season.
The one question the Bucks still have regarding their roster and free agency pertains to what they will do with their 15th and final roster spot.
Many are anticipating the team coming to terms on a new deal with restricted free agent Jordan Nwora, but the two sides have yet to come to an agreement on a new contract with just about four weeks until the start of training camp.
Truly, the only move the Bucks made in free agency this offseason was replacing Donte DiVincenzo with Joe Ingles, a move that should pay off for them should Ingles be able to return to form from his ACL injury.
2022-23 Season Outlook:
If Khris Middleton was healthy for the Eastern Conference Semifinals, a series in which the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics played seven games, the Bucks may have very well advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Boston definitely deserved to win this series and we should take nothing away from them, but the fact of the matter is that Middleton’s value to the Bucks, especially as their No. 2 scoring options next to Giannis Antetokounmpo cannot be replaced or replicated by anyone else on their active roster.
He is one of the most important players in the league when it comes to evaluating his value to the Milwaukee Bucks, which is why this team has a chance to get back to the NBA Finals during the 2022-23 season if their core of Middleton, Antetokounmpo and Holiday can remain healthy.
Obviously having their key secondary guys in Brook Lopez, Bobby Portis, Pat Connaughton and others remain healthy is huge as well, but if their three All-Stars are healthy, everything else falls in line for the Bucks.
Ranking third in the league this past year in offensive rating and 14th in defensive rating, the Bucks really do not have to make many adjustments to try and improve. There are little things that will be tweaked on a game-by-game basis, but this is a true title contending team led by arguably the best player in the world.
It would be very surprising to see them finish with less than 50 wins during the 2022-23 season and anything short of an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals would be a disappointment for this team.
Having a terrific balance of shooting and two-way play out on the wing around Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks are definitely in that “1A tier” category when talking about championship caliber teams heading into the 2022-23 NBA season.
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