4 NBA Teams Primed for Breakout Seasons
Milwaukee Bucks
Here's what we know about the Milwaukee Bucks. Outside of an injured Khris Middleton (25), their unbelievably young and talented core of Giannis Antetokounmpo (21), Jabari Parker (21) and Greg Monroe (26) is set to improve on an impressive season a season ago. The three combined for 46.3 points, 21.7 rebounds, and 8.3 assists a night in 2015-16.
In the offseason, the Bucks brought in even more valuable players to their roster. In the draft, they added polar opposites in young 19-year-old phenom Thon Maker and 23-year-old Malcolm Brogdon. Both are unlikely to contribute on a significant level this season, but they'll provide some depth now, with hopes of turning their athleticism into much more in coming years.
In addition to the young blood, Milwaukee also picked up Matthew Dellavedova and Mirza Teletovic -- two veterans with 56 playoff appearances. While Delly looks poised to start alongside Antetokounmpo in the Milwaukee backcourt, Teletovic will be a vital player off the bench. The former shot 41% from three at the same time hitting 1.3 triples per game for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The latter carries 2.3 threes per game and a three-point shooting percentage of 39.3% from a year ago.
That's exactly what head coach Jason Kidd needs more of. In their most recent campaign, the Bucks ranked dead last in three-point attempt rate, attempts, and makes per game. This was a big reason for the Bucks' lackluster offensive performance, in terms of advanced metrics. They finished 17th in effective field goal percentage and 26th in offensive rating.
What they don't have to worry about is their offense inside the paint and their ability to make opposing offenses fret. The young Bucks ended the season second in average makes and attempts inside the three-point arc. And their freakish length and athleticism led to 8.2 steals and 15.5 forced turnovers per game -- good enough for eighth in the Association.
These two team attributes seem to be the perfect foundation for Jason Kidd's club. Vegas expects Milwaukee to add 6.5 wins to their 33 wins last year. Our numbers cut that in half, to 36.2 total wins with just a 17.9% likelihood of reaching the postseason.
