NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - FEBRUARY 04: Jrue Holiday #11 of the New Orleans Pelicans shoots against Khris Middleton #22 of the Milwaukee Bucks during the first half at the Smoothie King Center on February 04, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
Milwaukee Bucks: Why their 3 new veteran players matter
Milwaukee Bucks Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images
This offseason the Milwaukee Bucks acquired Jrue Holiday, D.J. Augustin and Bobby Portis. These three players should make an immediate positive impact.
To say that this offseason was important to the future of the Milwaukee Bucks is the biggest understatement since Don Corleone told Johnny Fontane “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.” After entering last season with championship aspirations, the Bucks lived up to the hype in the regular season, amassing the league’s best record for the second year in a row.
However, things did not go as planned in the postseason. Their star, Giannis Antetokounmpo went down with an ankle injury in Game 4 of their second-round series against the Miami Heat. They would go on to lose four games to one and be left to pick up the pieces in one of the shortest off-seasons in NBA history.
Head coach Mike Budenholzer is entering his third season with the team. Yes, he’s led them to the best record in the league in each of his first two seasons, but coaches of title-contending teams are always on the hot seat. In 2018, Dwayne Casey was fired by the Toronto Raptors after leading the team to the Eastern Conference Finals and being named Coach of the Year.
Two years earlier, David Blatt was fired mid-season by the Cleveland Cavaliers despite leading them to the NBA Finals the previous season and having the best record in the Eastern Conference the day he was fired. There are no rumblings coming out of Milwaukee that Budenholzer’s job is anything but secure, but anyone who’s been watching the NBA for a long time knows this is potentially a make-or-break season for him.
NBA coaches have little margin for error
Today’s NBA is less patient than it’s ever been before. Teams are put together and expected to win a championship in a two-year window or risk being broken up. Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant didn’t reach the NBA Finals until their fourth season together. In today’s NBA, one of them would’ve been traded in the name of “looking for a new direction” long before they were given that many chances to succeed.
The 2015 Golden State Warriors, who’s starting lineup featured four players who’d been drafted by the franchise, may be the last organically home-grown champion the league sees for quite some time. Player movement and free agent signings dictate the balance of power now. It’s not uncommon for the landscape of an entire conference to change with the acquisition of a single player.
For Milwaukee Bucks fans, the upcoming season will impact that trajectory of their favorite team for years to come. The front office knows this and they’ve been active in making moves to make sure things go in the right direction. This off-season the franchise brought in a trio of veteran players who can make an immediate impact, Jrue Holiday, D.J. Augustin and Bobby Portis. Here’s a closer look at the reasons these acquisitions are important, and the ways these players will make a difference.
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Bryn Forbes will likely compete with Donte DiVincenzo</a> for a starting backcourt position, veteran DJ Augustin should fill the void left by Hill nicely.</p>
<p>Even though he only stands at 5’11” tall, Augustin has proven he has the ability to play off the ball. That provides added flexibility for Coach Budenholzer should he decide to get creative with the lineup and put Augustin and Holiday in the game together. Either player can handle the ball and DJ has shown the ability to get hot from 3-point land on occasion.</p>
<p>Last postseason, as a member of the Orlando Magic, he shot 44.0 percent from 3-point range over the course of their fie game series against the Bucks. That included a 24-point outburst in Game 3 in which he went 4-8 from deep. That type of sharp shooting can turn a game around; his addition should give Milwaukee some much needed offensive firepower off the bench next season.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2020/12/01/milwaukee-bucks-3-veteran-players/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Bobby Portis could be a Sixth Man of the Year candidate </a>
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<span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> NBA free agency tracker: Grades for every deal </a> </div>
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