The Bucks have an extremely talented starting five, and one that should contend in the Eastern Conference. They acquired Eric Bledsoe last season, and he remains their starting point guard. Malcolm Brogdon was a sixth man option for Milwaukee last year, but this season he moved into the starting five, as the starting shooting guard. This move shifts Khris Middleton to small forward, and Giannis Antetokounmpo to power forward. The versatility allows this to work out well, and of course a team with this length is going to be able to handle such changes. Antetokounmpo is the offensive superstar on this team, leading the Bucks in usage and production. They added Brook Lopez in the offseason, who jumped right into the starting role at center. Lopez isn’t your traditional center, so it doesn’t help them much defensively and on the glass.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is where everything starts in Milwaukee. He is now the best player in the East with LeBron James gone, and it is hard to argue for any other player. He is a dominant fantasy player contributing across all categories and is a high usage player. The offense will run through him every night, but there are a few other names to mention here. The Bucks continue to be inconsistent despite having a talented roster. Jason Kidd could have the problem so we will see what happens in a full year. Khris Middleton has shown the ability to play the sidekick role, and sees the second highest usage on the team. Middleton is often overlooked in fantasy, but brings a very consistent game.
Look for Middleton to continue more of the same this season, even with some surrounding options. Malcolm Brogdon has blossomed into a solid secondary or bench role player. He is a former rookie of the year winner, and will likely draw the starting shooting guard spot. He is a better fantasy player off the bench because he doesn’t have to compete with so much for usage. Eric Bledsoe had an awful playoff and it made many question his role heading into the new season. If Bledsoe struggles, Brogdon or even a Brandon Jennings is someone who can slide right in pushing Bledsoe to a bench role. The front court in Milwaukee got very interesting. Ersan Ilyasova adds some depth at the four, and will be an efficient bench scorer. The addition of Brook Lopez gives the Bucks some scoring at the five, which is something they have not had in quite some time. Lopez isn’t a big rebounder which still doesn’t help them there, but it also raises questions of usage around everywhere else. John Henson and Thon Maker were very low usage player while Lopez will still get his offensive looks.
