MILWAUKEE (AP) 鈥� Giannis Antetokounmpo has virtually the same set of teammates as last season. The Milwaukee Bucks鈥� goal is also the same: a second NBA championship.
The Bucks return everyone who played meaningful minutes in their unsuccessful title defense, which ended in a
鈥淚 love playing with people that I鈥檝e played with before. I know where they want to get the ball, how they operate, what kind of people they are,鈥� Antetokounmpo said. "I think in the NBA some years you鈥檙e always building new relationships, and once you鈥檙e in the peak of that relationship and you figure out how to play with that guy, maybe he moves to a different team.鈥�
Not in this case.
Milwaukee made few changes to its roster and believes the return of a healthy Khris Middleton could help produce a repeat of the 2020-21 season, when the Bucks won their first title in a half-century.
with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee and underwent surgery on his left wrist this summer. the three-time All-Star plans to return in the early part of the season.
and Pat Connaughton signed long-term deals in the offseason to remain part of a nucleus that also includes Antetokounmpo, Middleton, Jrue Holiday, Grayson Allen, Wesley Matthews and George Hill.
Milwaukee鈥檚 most notable additions are and veteran forward Joe Ingles, a free-agent acquisition who won鈥檛 play until at least December or more likely January as he recovers from a torn anterior cruciate ligament. The Bucks鈥� training camp roster includes 16 of the 17 players who finished the 2021-22 season with Milwaukee.
鈥淭hat is, I think by a decent number, a record for me in my almost 30 years of the NBA, to bring 16 guys back,鈥� coach Mike Budenholzer said. 鈥淚 think it speaks mostly to the belief and to the quality of the players. Hopefully it speaks to them wanting to stay and wanting to be a part of what we鈥檙e doing.鈥�
BROOK鈥橲 BACK
The Bucks should get a boost from having Brook Lopez for a full season after a limited the 7-footer to just 13 regular-season games last year.
Serge Ibaka also re-signed with the Bucks despite finishing the postseason out of the rotation, a move that gives the Bucks frontcourt insurance in case Lopez gets hurt again.
ALLEN鈥橲 MISSION
Allen set career highs in scoring, rebounding and 3-point percentage in his debut season with the Bucks, but finished it off by shooting 2 of 18 from beyond the arc in the last six games of the Celtics series.
鈥淚鈥檓 proud of the fact I was able to continue improvement,鈥� Allen said. 鈥淚 think looking at the end of the year, it just points out stuff you need to work on, especially in the playoffs when teams know everything we鈥檙e going to do (and) we know everything they鈥檙e going to do. It just gets that much tougher, that much more physical. It just adds something in my head that I need to improve on.鈥�
ANTETOKOUNMPO鈥橲 ENCORE
Antetokounmpo is coming off a 2021-22 season in which the two-time MVP scored a career-high 29.9 points per game to go along with 11.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game.
In the Eastern Conference semifinals,
BEAUCHAMP鈥橲 D
The Bucks selected Beauchamp with the 24th overall pick in the draft,
Milwaukee is hoping the 6-foot-7 wing and former NBA G League Ignite player can provide an immediate defensive boost.
INGLES鈥� ARRIVAL
The Bucks believe Ingles will be worth the wait once he鈥檚 ready to play. The former Utah Jazz forward
Holiday called Ingles 鈥渙ne of the ones you hate to play against鈥� because of the 35-year-old鈥檚 trash talking and physical play.
鈥淏ut now that he鈥檚 on my team, I鈥檓 happy,鈥� Holiday added.
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Steve Megargee, The Associated Press
