D'Amato: No excuses for Bucks this season
When it was pointed out to Jason Kidd on Tuesday that the Bucks started 7-13 in 2015-‘16 and 6-8 last season – and looked ragged in both season openers – the coach said, “We all would love to start fast and go undefeated.”
Well, yes, that would be nice, not to mention historic.
Bucks fans would gladly settle for the fast start. With nearly the entire roster returning intact from a team that finished 42-40 and lost a closely contested first-round playoff series to Toronto, there is no reason the Bucks should stumble out of gate, even if their first two games are against Eastern Conference powers Boston on Wednesday night and Cleveland at home on Friday.
The first two of 82 won’t make or break the season. “It’s a marathon,” Kidd pointed out. But they will constitute an early barometer for a team that is still young but no longer can use the inexperience excuse.
In fact, there’s no excuse for the Bucks this season, period. In a weak conference, they should win a minimum of 45 games and maybe 50. If they’re not battling for the fifth playoff seed, at worst, they’ll have had a bad year.
“Being young is not an excuse anymore,” said third-year guard Rashad Vaughn. “Not being ready is not an excuse. We have no excuses. We’ve got a lot of experience on this team; a lot of people have been in this league a long time. Going to the playoffs last year gave us that experience. There’s no excuses at all.
“We’ve got to come out and be ready to play and accomplish the goals we’ve set as a team.”
Much has been put on the broad shoulders of Giannis Antetokounmpo and he’s everything a franchise could want in its best player. He’s the hardest worker on the team and burns to be great. When you add those qualities to otherworldly athleticism on a 7-foot frame, you get a special player.
Watching him block five shots in the final preseason game, including two hustling chase-down blocks in a contest that didn’t mean anything, was a window into his competitive soul.
“That’s Giannis,” Kidd said. “That’s who he is.”
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Antetokounmpo seems destined to win the league MVP award, probably not this year but sometime in the near future. But is there enough talent around him to get the Bucks past the first round of the playoffs?
Thon Maker is stronger physically and should be improved in his second year. Khris Middleton was injured at the start of last season but is healthy now and won’t have to work his way into shape. Malcolm Brogdon is coming off his rookie of the year season. Greg Monroe has settled into his role coming off the bench and could be one of the league’s top sixth men.
The Bucks will get Jabari Parker back at some point in the second half of the season and though no one expects 18 and eight from him immediately, he’ll help even with limited playing time.
Two areas in which the team must improve are shooting and defending the three-pointer. A 16-for-33 performance from long range in the final preseason game was encouraging. The defense also can’t have stretches in which opponents get to the rim with impunity, as was the case last year.
“We’ve got to work on building great habits from the start and being consistent on a nightly basis,” Middleton said.
The Bucks are playing in the BMO Harris Bradley Center for the final year before moving into their new $524 million arena. They’ve got an incredible state-of-the-art practice facility with every possible creature comfort. A comprehensive marketing plan has helped awaken a latent fan base.
To those who are given much, much is expected.
“We’ve got the same team basically with the same guys,” Vaughn said. “I think we’re going to hit the ground running. We’re hungry. You can tell by how we’re practicing. Our urge to win and to be better than last year is at an all-time high.”