Kofi Inkoom
The earlier acquisition of Damian Lillard in a blockbuster trade should elevate the Milwaukee Bucks to the position of top contenders in the Eastern Conference, surpassing even the Boston Celtics, who recently traded for Jrue Holiday.
Within the Eastern Conference, the 2023-24 NBA season welcomes the Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics as the premier teams.
Any prior uncertainty was obliterated by the trades involving Damian Lillard and Jrue Holiday during the offseason.
The debate ensues regarding whether the Bucks or the Celtics should be favored in the East. Even oddsmakers are unable to provide a definitive answer.
FanDuel Sportsbook has both Milwaukee and Boston tied with +175 odds to represent the conference in the 2024 NBA Finals. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers are a distant third with +1000 odds to clinch the Eastern title.
In the previous postseason, the Bucks’ 2023 playoff journey ended in dismay when they suffered an upset at the hands of the Miami Heat in a five-game first-round series.
The Celtics, on the other hand, experienced a different but equally painful ordeal at the hands of the Heat.
Boston fought back from a 3-0 deficit in the conference finals, only to be humiliated on their home court by Miami in Game 7.
Both Milwaukee and Boston underwent significant changes in the offseason, aiming to rectify the errors of the past season.
While Jrue Holiday may emerge as the crucial element needed to secure a championship ring for the Celtics during the Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown era, there exist several compelling reasons why the Bucks should be regarded as the frontrunners in the Eastern Conference heading into the season, especially following the Damian Lillard trade.
Giannis Antetokounmpo remains the preeminent player in the Eastern Conference.
Nikola Jokic claimed the title of “the world’s best basketball player” after guiding the Denver Nuggets to a championship in his third consecutive MVP-worthy season.
However, Giannis Antetokounmpo holds a solid second place in the NBA hierarchy, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he regains the top spot by the end of the upcoming season.
Joel Embiid’s lack of playoff success disqualifies him from contention, despite his regular-season accomplishments.
While Jayson Tatum has displayed moments of greatness both in the regular season and playoffs, he lacks the consistent brilliance required to match Antetokounmpo’s stature.
Antetokounmpo’s sustained excellence has almost made it routine, with him effortlessly scoring 32 points, securing 15 rebounds, and providing seven assists, all while excelling as the best defensive player on the court.
These were his averages in two complete playoff games last season, even though he was not at full health due to a back injury that caused him to miss a portion of the Bucks’ playoff series.
It’s worth remembering that he wasn’t completely healthy when he returned to face Miami.
However, it’s essential to note that having the best player in a series doesn’t guarantee victory for the Bucks, as they discovered two seasons ago when they failed to close out the Boston Celtics in the conference semifinals despite holding a 3-2 series lead.
Their chances were hampered by Khris Middleton’s injury. If Antetokounmpo, Middleton, and Damian Lillard are all in peak condition during a seven-game series against the Celtics, the Bucks would hold the advantage.
Damian Lillard to address the Bucks’ offensive struggles.
Since their 2021 NBA Finals victory, the Milwaukee Bucks have fallen short of reaching the conference finals in the last two seasons.
Their half-court and clutch-time offense was a significant Achilles’ heel in both the 2022 and 2023 playoffs.
Two postseasons ago, Giannis Antetokounmpo had minimal offensive support, and in the previous year, during pivotal moments in games, no Bucks player stepped up to score when needed, as exemplified by Jimmy Butler’s heroic performances.
The addition of Damian Lillard is poised to resolve many of these issues.
Lillard perfectly fits the mold of an offensive assassin that Milwaukee’s lineup was desperately lacking.
Fearless in taking crucial shots, he holds a unique distinction as the only player in NBA history with multiple buzzer-beaters to close out playoff series.
At the age of 33, Lillard reached new heights as an efficient scorer, posting career highs of 32.2 points per game on 46.3% shooting from the field last season.
His limitless shooting range will stretch the floor in a manner previously unexplored by the Bucks.
The prospect of defending against the Lillard-Antetokounmpo pick-and-roll should give opposing teams, like Boston, a formidable challenge.
While there will be moments when the Bucks miss Jrue Holiday, notably due to his superior defensive abilities compared to Lillard, it was evident in the previous postseason that Holiday couldn’t effectively contain scorers like Butler.
Holiday’s offense, at times, struggled in the playoffs, averaging 17.9 points on 17.7 shots per game in his 40 playoff appearances with the Bucks.
Such production won’t come to the rescue for the Celtics when their offense stalls during a playoff series.
With Lillard on board, Khris Middleton transitions from being the Bucks’ second-highest scorer to a more suitable role as the third option.
The combination of Lillard and Antetokounmpo is expected to be a lethal partnership that elevates both players’ performance levels.