Two seasons ago, the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers were on similar trajectories in their rebuilding process. As the 2013-14 season drew to a close, those two teams were in a dead heat to get the most ping-pong balls for the upcoming draft lottery. Milwaukee won only 15 games that season (as compared to Philadelphia's 17 wins) and secured the most ping-pong balls for the draft lottery. Surprisingly, Cleveland, the team with the ninth best odds to get the top pick, ended up winning the lottery for the second year in a row. The Bucks and the 76ers ended up with the second and third picks, respectively. In what was deemed to be a two to three player draft, getting one of the three top picks was extremely important to the futures of the rebuilding franchises.
With the top pick, the Cavaliers selected Kansas freshman forward Andrew Wiggins. With Larry Sanders, Zaza Pachulia, and John Henson already in tow, the Bucks decided to go with Duke freshman forward Jabari Parker, whose game was often compared to Carmelo Anthony's. With the third pick, the 76ers took Kansas big man Joel Embiid.
Last Season
Milwaukee was starting to piece together a nice young nucleus, centered around Parker, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brandon Knight, Larry Sanders, John Henson, and Khris Middleton. With so many long-armed players, the Bucks started to excel on the defensive end of the court. They were a turnover creating machine, leading the league in forced turnovers (17.4/game) and steals (9.6/game). They held opponents to only 43.7 percent shooting from the field, which was fifth best in the league.
Their effectiveness on the defensive end began to translate into wins last season, even as the winds of change kept swirling around the team. Head coach Jason Kidd was on his first year with the Bucks after a tumultuous exit from Brooklyn. Jabari Parker suffered a torn ACL in December and was lost for the season. Larry Sanders decided he would rather retire than deal with life in the NBA, taking a buyout in February. Leading scorer Brandon Knight was traded at the trade deadline for Michael Carter-Williams, Miles Plumlee, and Tyler Ennis. In addition to all of this, the Bucks also had to deal with an ownership change and a pending stadium bill (which eventually passed).
Even with all that change, the Bucks increased their win total by 26 games from the season before, to finish at .500 for the season. That win total allowed them to finish sixth in the Eastern Conference. In the playoffs, they met up with division rival Chicago. They battled the Bulls for six tough games, but came out on the losing end to cap off a surprisingly good season.
Offseason
During the draft, the Bucks traded for Raptors point guard Greivis Vasquez and selected shooting guard Rashad Vaughn out of UCLA with the 17th selection. Vasquez is one of the steadier backup point guards in the league and is heading into a contract year. Vaughn was recovering from a torn meniscus during the draft process, but Milwaukee gave Vaughn a promise that they would draft him if he was available. The Bucks really liked Vaughn's scoring ability and view him as an integral part of their future.
The Bucks got one of the bigger prizes of free agency in signing Greg Monroe to a three-year, $50 million contract. One of the biggest weaknesses for the Bucks last season was on the offensive end, and Monroe should immediately help out in that department. Chris Copeland was also signed for the veteran minimum and should provide three-point shooting in spots.
2015-16 Preview
The Bucks come into the season as a team looking to take the next step in their development. They were a surprise to many last season, but won't be able to surprise anyone this season. That paradigm shift in mindset is one of the things that hinder a lot of young teams in this phase of their development. The idea that everyone you play from here on out will view you as a hunter, not as the prey, can be a difficult transition for young teams to handle.
Luckily for the Bucks, the foundation of their success is on the defensive end. The signing of Monroe, along with the addition of Vasquez, the continued maturation of Antetokounmpo, and the return of Parker should help the Bucks on the offensive end, where they struggled most of the year. Milwaukee scored only 97.8 points per game last season, which ranked 22nd in the league.
If the Bucks maintain their defensive chops and improve on the offensive end, they should see their win total increase by three to four games. They'll likely still finish third in the Central Division, behind Cleveland and Chicago, but should be more of a threat in the Eastern Conference. A successful season for them likely includes 45-plus wins and a trip to the second round of the playoffs.