Bucks Season Preview

It was an extremely active for the Bucks. You saw an influx of young talent brought in, while also seeing veteran talent head out the door. There were future picks invested in this group (3 1st rounders for Teague, Anderson), so it is imperative that results are seen sooner rather than later. With a lottery protected 1st this year, the Bucks can afford one more season of growing pains-- but by next season this team is expected to be a contender in the central division. The core of Anderson, Harrison, Faried and Teague with another high pick and money to spend next summer has the city of Milwaukee in a buzz.

Point Guard
Starter: Kyle Anderson
Other Rotationals: Jeff Teague || D.J. Augustin
The point guard position has been completely overhauled since last season. We have five guys on our team capable of playing the position: Jeff Teague, Kyle Anderson, DJ Augustin, Andrew Harrison and Andre Miller. We love the versatility on this team, as it allows us to get creative with our rotation. This leads to our decision to try out Kyle Anderson as the starter here. He is a huge guard who can score, pass and rebound. The big question here is how he can stack up defensively, if it hurts us too much we may have to go with Teague here more often. We are confident though, that KA will flourish and become a star for us.

Shooting Guard
Starter: Andrew Harrison
Other Rotationals: Jeff Teague || Anthony Morrow
This is another position that has been revitalized over the offseason. By drafting Harrison, we added a well-rounded player with star scorer potential. Between him, Faried and Anderson, we belive we have a core that can grow into a contender together. He is a versatile player that can also play spot minutes at point guard-- with the potential to grow into a PG over time. Morrow was a great, cheap get for us to add some outside shooting to the rotation.

Small Forward
Starter: Jeffery Taylor
Other Rotationals: Kyle Anderson || Alex Poythress
While KA is starting at PG, this leaves our SF spot pretty vulnerable. To start out the season, we are trying out newly acquired Jeff Taylor as the starter here. He has good size and has proven he can knock down 3's. If this experiment goes awry, you could definitely see more Anderson at this spot, or maybe even more of Poythress and Morrow. I have high hopes that we will get someone to stick at this spot as the season goes on.

Power Forward
Starter: Kenneth Faried
Other Rotationals: Channing Frye || Alex Poythress || Byron Mullens
Faried is the only piece that made it back from last year's team. We paid him like the star we think he is bound to become, and hope that transformation starts to happen this year. He has had problems with injuries since we acquired him, but we feel like he is due for a breakout year, now that we have guards with the ability to get him the ball. We also acquired Frye, Poythress, Mullens, Thompson and Bargnani in the off-season, who all stand to see minutes at either PF or C. This newfound depth will hopefully allow Faried to stay more rested to limit potential injuries.
 
Center
Starter: Andrea Bargnani
Other Rotationals: Jason Thompson || Channing Frye
In a controversial move, we traded away last year's team MVP in Marc Gasol in order to bring in Kyle Anderson and Jason Thompson. We were prepared to roll into the season with JT at center, but then an opportunity arose to trade Gallinari for Bargnani. We love the contrast in styles between these two guys, as Bargs brings offense and spacing whereas Thompson brings defense and rebounding. They will each see minutes with Faried on the floor and will even play together at times. We actually think the center position is more of a strength this year than last with Gasol-- which is a testament to the importance of depth and fit.

6th Man
Jeff Teague
Other Key Bench: Jason Thompson || Anthony Morrow || Channing Frye
This is my version of the trend going around the league of having a potent scorer coming off the bench. Teague is definitely deserving of a starting job, but his role as our 6th man is more important. He has the ability to play both guard spots, providing good scoring and defense at both positions. Thompson, Frye and Morrow are all also important pieces to the puzzle, as they provide a great blend of skills that helps to balance the team overall.