Can the Bucks Win the 2023 Championship?
Without a doubt, the Golden State Warriors will head into the 2022-2023 season as one of the favourites to win it all again. After all, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson proved last season that they are indeed unstoppable when healthy. Add Andrew Wiggins into the mix with Jordan Poole and the rest of the cast makes the Warriors legitimate contenders. While Draymond Green’s future remains cloudy, the Warriors are still the team to beat- at least in the Western Conference.
However, some NBA general managers think another team could lay claim to the title of NBA favourite. In an annual survey of 30 NBA GMs, 43% of the voters chose the Milwaukee Bucks as the 2023 champions. 25% think it’s the Warriors, and 21% think it’s the Los Angeles Clippers.
Additionally, the survey also revealed Bucks star Giannis Anteokounmpo received 55% of the votes as the best player to build a team around with Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks not far behind with 45%.
Not coincidentally, Antetokounmpo (1st) and Doncic (2nd) are among ESPN’s top three players for the 2022-2023 season with Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets completing the set.
So what needs to go right for the Bucks to win their second championship in three seasons?
Health
Right now, four Bucks players are on the injured list: Khris Middleton, Pat Connaughton, Wesley Matthews, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Of the four players, the latter three are listed as day-to-day while Middleton remains out, and according to Bucks General Manager Jon Horst. Recent quotes suggest it’s too early to say whether or not Middleton will be ready to play by the start of the new season.
With Middleton’s availability in question, the Bucks would miss the 20.1 points, 5.4 assists, and 5.4 rebounds per game Middleton provided last season.
And with the rest of the Eastern Conference stocking up on talent during the 2022 offseason, the Bucks would need every healthy body available to keep up with the competition ahead.
The Giannis Antetokounmpo Effect
If there’s one advantage Milwaukee has over Golden State should they meet in the finals next year, it’s the presence of a dominant big man. That dominant big man is Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Sure, Draymond Green could try and limit the Antetokounmpo effect by keeping him out of the latter’s comfort zone, but we all know the Greek Freak can find other ways to contribute, and that’s scary given the fact that the Bucks still have other weapons at their disposal. Couple that with Green’s recent antics at Warriors preseason camp, and it’s unclear how the longtime Golden State defender will factor into the team’s plans moving forward.
In 67 regular-season games last season, the two-time NBA MVP averaged 29.9 points (career-high), 11.6 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.1 steals. All while shooting 55.3% from the field in 32.9 minutes of action.
If Giannis Antetokounmpo could ratchet those numbers even higher and improve his jump shot, he could be an even bigger problem for the rest of the league- thrusting the Bucks to the front of the pack as the team to beat in the East.
Supporting Cast
As great as Giannis has been over the past three seasons, he can’t do it alone. And with Khris Middleton still out, the Bucks’ supporting cast must provide the reinforcements in the early goings of the new season if they want to get off to a good start.
Aside from their superstar, five other Bucks players averaged 11+ points last season with two others averaging nine points.
They’ll need to continue that trend of providing bench support to their main guys to avoid burnout and fatigue heading into the 2022-23 playoffs.
If they’re able to do that, and stay healthy in the long haul, they could indeed win it all.
-Iggy Gonzales
Photo: Erik Drost. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.