2021 Milwaukee Bucks Depth Chart

Position	1	#	2	#	3	#
Point Guard	Jrue Holiday	21	Bryn Forbes	7	Jeff Teague	5
Shooting Guard	Donte DiVincenzo	0	Pat Connaughton	24
Small Forward	Khris Middleton	22	Jordan Nwora	13	Thanasis Antetokounmpo	43
Power Forward	Giannis Antetokounmpo	34	P.J Tucker	17
Center	Brook Lopez	11	Bobby Portis	9

The Milwaukee Bucks quietly had one of the best off-seasons of any team in the Eastern Conference and they didn’t actually have to do much to earn it. With LeBron James packing up and moving to the Western Conference with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks poised to take over as one of the East’s top tier teams. Milwaukee finished 7th in the Eastern Conference last season with a 44-38 record but fell short in the playoffs as they took the Celtics to seven games but eventually lost the series. The Bucks will have some new faces on the court for them this season, with the additions of Brook Lopez, Ersan Ilyasova, and Pat Connaughton to their team through free agency, and also a new face on the sidelines. Mike Budenholzer will take over as head coach for the Bucks this year and will look to bring his proven winning experience, strong player development skills, and dynamic offensive style that relies on spacing and constant ball movement to a team that has struggled to find consistency with their coaching staff. This will be the first time that Budenholzer gets to coach with the level of athleticism and skill set of Giannis Antetokounmpo, so his style will likely evolve a bit this season.

While the Bucks depth may be somewhat challenged this season, they have the luxury of having several players that can play multiple positions for them. Eric Bledsoe is heading into his first full season spearheading a somewhat unimpressive group of point guards for the Bucks and will look to build off his 17.8 points and 5.1 assists per game last season. Former Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon’s role is yet to be determined and will be something to monitor during camp, but it is possible that he starts along the backcourt alongside Eric Bledsoe this season. Brogdon has shown his chops as a defender in his two seasons but has also been an efficient scorer for the Bucks. Brogdon averaged 13 points and 3.2 assists in 29.9 minutes per game last year and shot a crisp 48.5 percent from the floor. If he starts at the shooting guard position, then rookie Donte DiVincenzo and veteran Matthew Dellavedova will get minutes behind Bledsoe at the point guard position. If Budenholzer elects to start Brogdon at the shooting guard position then he has plenty of options to use behind the young guard. Pat Connaughton comes in from Portland and could take on a role behind Brogdon or we could see minutes for Shabazz Muhammed who recently re-signed with the Bucks. Muhammed averaged 8.5 points on 55.2 percent shooting in 10.6 minutes per game after coming over to Milwaukee from Minnesota. The other option that Budenholzer has at SG, and one that was used by Prunty and Kidd last season, is to start Khris Middleton in that spot. Middleton had a career year last year averaging 20.1 points and four assists per game and appearing in all 82 games. If Middleton starts at the shooting guard position, then Milwaukee has a couple of options at the small forward position.

After starting 59 of his 72 games for the Bucks last season, Tony Snell has plenty of experience as a starter even if he doesn’t bring much to the table offensively. Snell is still an athletic and lengthy player that can help spread the floor which is something that Budenholzer preaches to his players. Giannis Antetokounmpo is another option for Milwaukee at the small forward position, although he is someone that can play at all five positions, and his athleticism and skillset gives the Bucks a lot of possibilities for their lineup combinations. Ersan Ilyasova is an option for the Bucks at power forward if they start Giannis at small forward, or he could be used off the bench as an offensive weapon off the bench. Ilyasova is a stretch big that brings a pretty unique skillset to the team and has familiarity with Mike Budenholzer as he spent time in Atlanta with him last season. Ilyasova averaged 10.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game off the bench for the Hawks last season Ilyasova’s ability to stretch the floor and play both the power forward and center position gives the Bucks added flexibility. Brook Lopez leads a group of experienced big men for the Hawks and his three-point shooting gives the Bucks a much-needed offensive weapon at center. Behind Lopez, Milwaukee has John Henson, Thon Maker, and Tyler Zeller all of which have plenty of NBA experience.