Bucks face pivotal season as training camp begins

The Milwaukee Bucks are moving away from the rhetoric of being a work in progress.

With the completion of Fiserv Forum, stability in the front office, the addition of a proven coaching staff and the development of a talented roster, the Bucks have ditched their former mantras of “Own the Future” and “Build the Future.”

For the Bucks, who opened training camp at their downtown Sports Science Center on Tuesday with a pair of practice sessions, the time of reckoning has arrived. Especially with LeBron James moving out of the Eastern

Conference, the path toward winning a playoff series for the first time since 2001 seems open.

“I think when you look at what’s happened, every year has gotten better,” coowner Marc Lasry said. “I think there’s a lot of expectations, from us, I think from (the media), from the fans, from the team, from the coaching staff. … You sort of look at this year and you’re hoping you’re going to get not the second round, you’re hoping you’re going to get to the Eastern Conference finals.”

Of course, none of these projections are new. For nearly two decades, the Bucks have been looking to exorcise their playoff demons and even last year believed they had finally put together the team that would make the leap.

A year ago, Milwaukee’s players and coaches were open about their goal of reaching 50 wins. They also espoused a belief that they could be a top-five defensive team.

Forty-four wins later with their second coach at the helm, the Bucks sat dejected at Boston’s TD Garden, having been eliminated in Game 7 of the first round. For the second successive season, they went into the summer trying to figure out what went wrong and wondering what could have been.

Between Monday’s media day and Tuesday’s practice, the bold proclamations have been tamped down.

“We’ve been saying it – 50 wins, 60 wins, whatever – and it hasn’t happened yet,” Khris Middleton said. “To me, I hate saying it, but we’ve looked like fools in the past saying we’re going to do this and that and we haven’t backed up what we’ve said. Guys are motivated by those previous years to do it now, but I guess they’re just not saying it.”

This year’s Bucks marketing drive is built around a new slogan: “Built to Stay.” That, of course, references the gleaming, Fiserv Forum, which will be the Bucks’ new home.

The question that will need to be answered on the Forum’s court this season, though, is are the Bucks built to stay?

General manager Jon Horst, entering his second full season in that position, has consistently spoken about his plan to construct the team the right way so that the Bucks can have sustained success, including ultimately competing for a championship. That all hinges on putting the right pieces around 23-year-old all-star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is beginning the second year of a four-year contract.

He’s not leaving Milwaukee any time before the end of that contract and neither is head coach Mike Budenholzer, who was hired this spring to help the Bucks reach new heights. With those two pieces in place, Horst’s challenge will be to determine who fits along with them on a perennial contending team.

Milwaukee may not yet be considered a legitimate title contender, but the Bucks’ level of success in 2018-’19, as well as which players step up, will determine the direction of the franchise.

“I think this is a big season for us in regard to that,” Horst said. “We want to take a step forward . ... I think if this group can take another step collectively, if they can buy into Coach’s system, play the way that he wants to play, continue to be high-character guys and really show progress toward our ultimate goal of sustaining success over a long period of time, then I think there’s a strong argument for keeping this group together and that’s something we talk about a lot. …

“We like the group that we have and we’re really excited to see what they do.”

The gravity of this season isn’t lost on the men in Milwaukee’s locker room.

“It’s no secret it’s time, especially for the guys that have been here for a while that have grown together, it’s time to take that next step,” said center John Henson.

“Especially with some of the guys being free agents soon – myself in a couple years, Khris possibly, Eric (Bledsoe), go down the line. We know that’s the pressure that comes with it, but I think we’re built for it and it’s going to be a good year.”

How the Bucks respond to the challenge could have lasting ramifications on the franchise. If the Bucks are indeed “Built to Stay,” they’re officially on the clock to prove it.

“We definitely have the pieces to do what we need to do,” Middleton said. “It’s just a matter of going on the court and actually doing it now.”