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Indiana Pacers Preview Series: The Central Division

By Jonathan Matthes

MILWAUKEE, WI - OCTOBER 04: John Henson #31 of the Milwaukee Bucks jumps against Myles Turner #33 of the Indiana Pacers to start a preseason game at the BMO Harris Bradley Center on October 4, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 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 Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI - OCTOBER 04: John Henson #31 of the Milwaukee Bucks jumps against Myles Turner #33 of the Indiana Pacers to start a preseason game at the BMO Harris Bradley Center on October 4, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 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 Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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MILWAUKEE, WI – OCTOBER 13: Giannis Antetokounmpo
MILWAUKEE, WI – OCTOBER 13: Giannis Antetokounmpo /

MILWAUKEE BUCKS

2016-17 Record: 42-40, 2nd in Central, 6th in the East

Projected Starters: PG Malcolm Brogdon, SG Khris Middleton, SF Giannis Antetokounmpo, PF Jabari Parker*, C Thon Maker. Rotation: Tony Snell, Greg Monroe, Matthew Dellavedova, D.J Wilson. Head Coach: Jason Kidd 160-168, 4th year in Milwaukee. Average core age: 24.

The heights that these Bucks will reach will be dependent on one man, Giannis “I hope I’m spelling his name right” Antetokounmpo. Last year he led them in everything. There are positives to this namely, your star player is awesome and should be an MVP candidate. But there are negatives too, since you’re entirely dependent on one player to deliver for you every night. We’ve seen that strategy work, LeBron James took the Cavs to the Finals and Russell Westbrook won the MVP; but neither could overcome more balanced opponents in the playoffs.

For the Bucks to really make the leap into a contender, they’ll need a Robin to rise and share the load that Antetokounmpo carries alone.

The most obvious candidate is Jabari Parker, who looks like he was constructed to be a model power forward in 2017. Parker’s averaged 16/6 over his first three seasons, peaking at 20.1 last season. The problem with Parker is that he’s hurt all the time.  He’s already missed 94 games due to injuries over his career, and he’s expected to be out several months while recovering from last season’s ACL injury. So while he might be the sharpest hatchet in the shed, he’s also the hatchet who’s handle keeps slipping off, getting stuck in that one corner that’s really hard to reach.

Besides Parker, Milwaukee doesn’t have many other star options. What they do have is a roster loaded with tweeners that compliment Antetokounmpo well. In the playoffs they found out that Thon Maker is a good interior defender that will allow Antetokounmpo to fly around. In Malcolm Brogdon they have a steady presence at the point. Neither are all-stars but both will play well on this team.

Even without Parker, this is a dangerous Bucks team. If circumstances fall in their favor (i.e. the Cleveland soap opera becomes too dysfunctional), don’t be surprised if Milwaukee and not Cleveland win the Central. That doesn’t, however, mean a deep playoff run is in the cards for the Bucks. While their embrace of the positionless concept will look brilliant some nights, it will also look like a disaster on others – like when they can’t stay in front of Kyrie Irving or John Wall, or when a bigger team is out-rebounding them by a billion. Either way, this team will only go as far as Giannis “I before E except after C” Antetokounmpo will take them.

The WRAP-UP

Cleveland is still the top dog, but they’re far from flawless. They won the Central with 51 wins last year a total surpassed by four teams (Golden State, San Antonio, Houston, Boston) and matched by three others (Toronto, Utah, Clippers). They can’t afford to slip in 2017-18 or second place Milwaukee will start holding a fire to their heels. Detroit should finish third, but the wild card is Indiana. If the Pacers play as Kevin Pritchard imagines, than Indy will displace, at least, the Pistons on their way back to the playoffs.

Next: GRIII's injury will hurt the Pacers

Then there’s Chicago who…well…they’ve got a great personality.

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