The 2022-23 Milwaukee Bucks’ Season Preview
October 2nd, 2022
By Alan Lu
(Photo: Mark J. Rebilas/USA Today Sports, via Bally Sports)
In 2021, the Milwaukee Bucks had a magical season, and superstar point forward Giannis Antetokounmpo led his team to win the NBA championship over the Phoenix Suns, and he gave his team a legendary, masterful postseason for the ages. They also had strong performances from their other star players, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday, who shot the ball well and played great defense to help the Bucks win the title.
Last year though, Khris Middleton got hurt early in the playoffs, and he was unable to play in his team’s second round series against the Boston Celtics. The Bucks played valiantly, but they were unable to overcome his loss, and they lost to the Celtics in seven games. Now with everyone back, healthy and ready to go, the Bucks will look to make a deep playoff run, and they are a strong contender for the title in 2023.
Star Players:
F Giannis Antetokounmpo, F Khris Middleton, and G Jrue Holiday
Giannis Antetokounmpo is a vastly athletic, skilled point forward that is a tremendous scorer, playmaker, rebounder, and defender on the court. He is a speedy playmaker that can go end-to-end to score at will, and he does a great job of slashing to the basket to score and rack up assists. He is a rangy defender that can make plays to help his team defensively, and he can absolutely take over games. The only question mark is his shooting ability, but his superb ability to contribute in all of the other categories makes him one of the best players in the game of basketball.
Khris Middleton is a versatile, do-it-all forward that does everything well when he is on the court. He is a very good shooter, scorer, playmaker, and defender, and he has really excelled at playing a secondary role to Giannis. He got hurt in last year’s playoffs, which rendered him unable to play in their second round series against Boston. When healthy, Middleton’s proved that he can be an All-Star level performer on the court.
Jrue Holiday is a strong, skilled playmaking point guard that has thrived during his time with Milwaukee. He is a good shooter that makes shots efficiently, and he does a very good job of managing the game and running the point. He is a superb defender that can lock down his man, and he also has shown that he can defend taller players. He’s been a consistently strong performer both in the regular season and in the playoffs, and he will help lead Milwaukee this season.
Additions:
F Joe Ingles and G-F MarJon Beauchamp
Joe Ingles is a skilled point forward that has strong offensive skills, and he also is a sound position defender. He is a very good shooter and passer, but he missed the second half of the season due to a knee injury. There are significant concerns about whether if he’s on the decline due to his age, as he is in his mid-30s, and if his knees will hold up. That said, he’ll be back and ready to contribute to Milwaukee, and he could prove to be an extremely valuable contributor if he can return to top form.
MarJon Beauchamp is a very athletic, energetic swingman that can score and defend, and he is a rangy defender that could develop into being a shutdown defender at the NBA level. He will need to show that he can consistently shoot well from the outside, and his strong performance at the Las Vegas Summer League is a good sign for things to come.
Subtractions:
None
There was some uncertainty and worry over whether or not if the Bucks would re-sign Jordan Nwora in time for preseason, but now that they have re-signed him, they get back a scoring, 3 and D bench forward back onto their team. The Bucks have brought back pretty much all of their important players back for the upcoming season, and they also added Ingles and Beauchamp to their team in the offseason.
Rookies:
G-F MarJon Beauchamp and G AJ Green
Beauchamp and Green will be entering a crowded roster, so there may not be many minutes for them right away, but there could be minutes to be had, especially late in the year. AJ Green is an agile, skilled combo guard that can shoot the basketball, but if one of them could crack the rotation this year, it could be Beauchamp, who is an immensely talented swingman that could thrive as a scorer, playmaker, and defender for the Bucks off the bench both this year and in the future.
Expected Rotation:
(Photo: Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images, via NBA.com)
Projected Starting Lineup:
Key Bench Players:
(Photo: Steven Ryan/Getty Images, via Fansided’s Behind the Buck Pass)
F-C Bobby Portis
G-F Pat Connaughton
The Rest of the Roster (projected to make the team):
F-C Serge Ibaka
G-F MarJon Beauchamp
F-C Sandro Mamukelashvili (Two-Way)
G AJ Green (Two-Way)
Others in Camp:
C Marques Bolden (Exhibit 10)
G Lindell Wigginton (Exhibit 10)
G Luca Vildoza (Exhibit 10)
Head Coach:
(Photo: Patrick Smith/Getty Images, via Fansided’s Hoops Habit)
Mike Budenholzer
2021-22 (MIL): 51-31, 7-5 in the playoffs
Career: 426-293, 55-44 in the NBA Playoffs, 1 NBA title as a head coach
For years, Mike Budenholzer had built up a reputation as creative offensive coach that would win lots of games in the regular season, but fall short in the playoffs. But in 2021, everything changed. He and Giannis led the Milwaukee Bucks to win the NBA championship over the Phoenix Suns, which cemented his place as one of the best coaches in the game of basketball.
Last year, Budenholzer helped his team get to seven games against the Boston Celtics in the second round series without Khris Middleton (who was injured) before faltering in the decisive game, but their team played valiantly. Now that he’ll have a fully healthy roster, Milwaukee Bucks’ fans will want to know if they can win it all again in 2023.
Outlook:
(Photo: Benny Sieu/USA Today Sports, via Fansided’s Sir Charles in Charge)
The Milwaukee Bucks were dealt with some bad luck when Khris Middleton got hurt early in the playoffs, and they were forced to play without him in their second round series against Boston. They still took it to seven games against a team that has two of the best forwards in the game in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, despite eventually losing to them.
Now that Middleton will be healthy, the Bucks should be favored to come out of the East to make it to the NBA Finals. It won’t be an easy road, as Boston has reloaded and acquired Malcolm Brogdon in the offseason, and the Warriors came out on top last year and will be the defending champions, as they have proven to have the guile, the smarts, and the skills to continually win each year due to having a core set of superstars led by Stephen Curry and the best active coach in the game right now in Steve Kerr.
Still, the Bucks have a trio of superstars of their own led by Giannis, and they also have a slew of solid role players. Bobby Portis and Brook Lopez are tough, physical centers that can stretch the floor, Joe Ingles, Wes Matthews, and Pat Connaughton are savvy, veteran swingmen that have excelled as role players in this league. if the Bucks can stay healthy and if Budenholzer can lead their team and get the most out of them, the Bucks could win it all in 2023, but that’s a big if. They’ll face strong competition and resistance from other teams such as Boston and Golden State, but Milwaukee is a strong team that is poised to make a deep playoff run for the upcoming season.
Projected 2022-23 Win-Loss Record and Finish:
Projected Regular Season Finish: 50-32, 2nd in the Eastern Conference
Expected Playoff Finish: Projected to lose in the NBA Finals to Golden State
I went to Basketball-Reference and Spotrac to look up some information for this write-up. It will be an exciting basketball season this year, and the NBA season will start on October 18th. Thank you for reading my write-up of the 2023 Milwaukee Bucks.
