Lots of reasons to fear the Deer next year
Greek Freak leads talented Bucks roster
WASHINGTON • The Washington Post looks ahead to what the Milwaukee Bucks have in store for this offseason after being eliminated from contention for the 2016-17 title.
2017 DRAFT PICKS
First round: Their own ( No. 17). Second round: Their own (No. 48). 2017- 1 8 salar y cap space ( with projected US$ 1 02million cap): $ 15.7 million. (Nine players with $80.7 million in guaranteed contracts; two draft picks worth $ 2.9 million; one roster charge worth $815,615; $1.9 million in stretch payments to Larry Sanders). Doesn’t include player options for Greg Monroe and Spencer Hawes.
2017 FREE AGENTS
PF Michael Beasley, SG Jason Terry, SG Tony Snell (restricted).
FIVE QUESTIONS TO ANSWER 1. Just how good can Giannis Antetokounmpo become?
When Antetokounmpo was taken with the No. 15 pick in the 2013 NBA draft, no one was quite sure what to expect of the The Greek Freak. He had the physical profile teams dream about as a six-foot-10 forward with arms that went for days, but given the difference in competition between Greece and the NBA, it was difficult to judge how good he might be.
In the years since, Ant etokounmpo has made improvements in his game as big as the strides he takes when he gallops down the court for the Bucks on a nightly basis. This season, Antetokounmpo was an allstar starter and elevated himself into the top 10 players conversation.
The scariest part? Antetokounmpo is 22. He will enter next season as a dark horse MVP candidate and could be the player who will finally end LeBron James’s run of dominance in the Eastern Conference.
2. Can Jabari Parker come back from a second torn ACL?
The Bucks entered last season as one of the most exciting young teams in the league, built around a trio of long- limbed wings/ forwards in Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Parker. But Middleton was lost with a serious hamstring injury before the season began. He made a surprising mid- season return, but then Parker went down with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee for the second time in three years.
Now the former No. 2 overall pick will enter the final season of his rookie contract as a mystery. He should be back sometime before the end of next season, but how effective is he going to be? And can Milwaukee trust him to stay healthy long term?
The first indication of Milwaukee’s level of trust in Parker’s future will be the rookie extension deadline in October. The Bucks could reach an agreement with Parker before that deadline or decide to wait until he hits restricted free agency.
3. Will Greg Monroe opt out of the final year of his contract?
Monroe’s si gning t wo years ago was seen as a coup for the Bucks, who were coming off a playoff appearance in Jason Kidd’s first season as head coach. As a free agent, Monroe drew interest from the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks, but chose Milwaukee instead. Then came a season of struggles and he began this past season on the bench.
But when Milwaukee used the offensively gifted centre as a battering ram against teams with no centre or a subpar one on second units, Monroe thrived.
Although success could spur Monroe to skip the final year of his deal, it seems likely he’ ll stay in Milwaukee. But if he wants a starting spot, he won’t find it there.
4. How much can Thon Maker improve in Season 2?
When Kidd decided to make Maker a starter this season, it was seen as a way to get him a few minutes of experience every game instead of having him on the bench.
But the 20- year- old was a revelation during Milwaukee’s first- round series against the Toronto Raptors, averaging nearly 20 minutes per game and providing highlights on both ends of the floor. With an athletic seven- foot centre who has potential three- point shooting range, a promising Bucks team looks even better.
Maker is now entrenched as the starting centre and if he can lift his playoff game to another level next season, the excitement in Milwaukee will rise as well.
5. What will Snell get as a restricted free agent?
When the Bucks and Bulls swapped a pair of 2013 firstround picks before this season, dealing Michael Carter-Williams to Chicago for Snell, it was seen as a fairly mundane deal. But Snell was an excellent fit in Milwaukee, providing another long, rangy defender on the wings as well as shooting 40 per cent from three-point range.
Snell enters restricted free agency as a wing who can shoot and defend, which every team wants. How high will his price tag go?
The l ow eight f i gures wouldn’t be surprising.