Giannis and Milwaukee Bucks, without competition in the Central Division for 2020-21

by

With the announcement of the two-time renewal of NBA Vice President Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks rise as the big favorites to repeat in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference.

The Greek striker adds two consecutive seasons with the Bucks with the best record in the league and “MVP”, which has not happened since Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors did it from 2014 to 2016.

With a key acquisition and the assurance that his superstar will be in town for a long time, Milwaukee has no real competition at Central.

Let’s take a look at the Bucks themselves and the rest of the teams in their division.

MORE: Preferred heat in the southeast | Strong maves in the southwest

Play

0:39

Andre Drummond takes a swing and hits it … It was 1 – 0 at the break.

The Knights had the worst record in the conference last season, at 19-46. They also registered the weakest defensive efficiency (114.8 points allowed per 100 possessions). For this reason, they selected Isaac Okoro, a former striker of Auburn, who specialized in defense and with great success in shooting from the field, with the fifth round of the draft.

JB Bickerstaff will return as coach after replacing John Beilein a few months ago. The young coach will hand over the “keys” of the team to goalkeeper Collin Sexton, who will be supported by veterans Kevin Love and Andre Drummond, among others. The bank also has figures such as goalie Darius Garland or six-season striker Larry Nance Jr.

The post-LeBron era continues to weigh on a Cleveland who, after combining for 158 wins from 2015 to 2018, added just 38 in the last two tournaments. Youth betting takes time, so a new season outside the playoffs would not be a surprise.

The following: Sexton, Love, Drummond, Garland, Nance Jr., Kevin Porter Jr., Dante Exum, Cedi Osman, Dylan Windler, Matthew Dellavedova, Charles Matthews, Marques Bolden, Levi Randolph.

High: Okoro, JaVale McGee, Damyean Dotson and Thon Maker.

Low: Tristan Thompson, Matt Mooney, Ante Zizic, Jordan Bell and Alfonzo McKinnie.

Ranking: 15 in the Eastern Conference during the 2019-2020 tournament.

PROJECTION: 22 victories

The Pistons were, along with the Cavalieri, the worst team in the Eastern Conference during the last tournament with a record of 20-46.

The board has started working on their “eternal” rebuild (they have advanced to the postseason only twice in the last 11 tournaments) and only four players will return to the team. Among them, the veteran duo of Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose who, if he stays healthy (his record says otherwise), could have a certain commercial value throughout the season.

Their best player, Christian Wood, was signed and traded to the Houston Rockets. Instead, the Pistons bought Jerami Grant, a key player in the Denver Nuggets who reached the conference finals this year.

In the draft, they selected striker Killian Hayes, the highest French player ever selected in his country. He registered 6.2 assists at the EuroCup.

The following: Rose, Griffin, Sekou Doumbouya and Svi Mykhailiuk.

High: Grant, Hayes, Mason Plumlee, Jahlil Okafor, Josh Jackson, Dewayne Dedmon, Isaiah Stewart, Saddiq Bey, Saben Lee, Delon Wright, Dzanan Musa and Rodney McGruder.

Low: Wood, Langston Galloway, John Henson, Brandon Knight, Thon Maker, Jordan McRae, Derrick Walton Jr., Jordan Bone, Louis King, Bruce Brown, Luke Kennard, Khyri Thomas and Tony Snell.

Ranking: 13 in the Eastern Conference during the 2019-2020 tournament.

PROJECTION: 20 victories

The Bulls, who lived a nightmare with their former manager and coach, revolutionized the franchise in search of a reaction. John Paxson and Gar Forman were fired, as was controversial coach Jim Boylen, who was 39-84 in the last two tournaments.

In their place were Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley, who signed former Oklahoma City Thunder coach Billy Donovan.

That being said, they were “surprised” in the project, choosing Patrick Williams, the Florida striker who won the sixth man of the year at the ACC conference, with the fourth choice in the round. He is the first top 5 in the draft to score less than 10 points per game on average since basketball was introduced in college basketball in 1985-86.

The main news will be that Coby White will be in charge of the property as the guardian of a team, which already has the talented goalkeeper Zach LaVine and the lawyer Lauri Markkanen, among others.

The following: White, Markkanen, Lavine, Otto Porter, Devon Dotson, Daniel Gafford, Cristiano Felício, Denzel Valentine, Tomáš Satoranský, Adam Mokoka, Thaddeus Young, Chandler Hutchison, Zach Norvell, Ryan Arcidiacono, Wendell Carter Jr., Templett Garrett, Luke Kornet and Simisola Shittu.

High: Williams, Marko Simonovic, Devon Dotson and the Garrett Temple.

Low: Kris Dunn, Shaquille Harrison, Adam Mokoka and Max Strus.

Ranking: 11th place in the Eastern Conference during the 2019-2020 tournament.

PROJECTION: 30 victories

The Pacers are the Bucks’ main rivals in the Central Division, led by the versatile striker Domantas Sabonis, as well as guard Malcolm Brogdon and … Victor Oladipo? During the offseason, alleged statements from the goalkeeper revealed that his rivals told them that he “wants” to play in another destination.

Indiana fired his coach Nate McMillan and was replaced by Nate Bjorkgren, a former assistant to the Toronto Raptors. The Pacers had 45-28 last season.

The following: Sabonis, Oladipo, Brogdon, Myles Turner, Rayshaun Hammonds, Goga Bitadze, Amida Brimah, Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb, Kelan Martin, TJ Warren, Brian Bowen, Edmond Sumner, Aaron Holiday, Jalen Lecque, Doug McDermott, JaKarr Sampson, TJ McConnell and Naz Mitrou-Long.

High: Cassius Stanley

Low: Brian Bowen II, Alize Johnson, Naz Mitrou-Long and TJ Leaf.

Ranking: 4th place in the Eastern Conference during the 2019-2020 tournament.

PROJECTION: 40 victories

In a move that paid off with the renewal of Antetokounmpo, Bucks acquired the undervalued – and one of the NBA’s most complex goalkeepers – Jrue Holiday. Now the former pelican gunslinger will join forces with the Greek and Khris Middleton in search of that long-awaited finale that Giannis resists so much.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Antetokounmpo and LeBron James (2008-10) are the only players to have won the league’s “MVP” and have the best record in the running seasons and do not play the coronation dance not only in the NBA but also the NFL, MLB and the NHL.

Giannis, a two-time MVP, will be looking for his third in a row, something he hasn’t seen since Larry Bird did it from 1983 to 1986.

The following: Antetokounmpo, Middleton, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Donte Divencenzo, Brook López, Tory Craig, Pat Connaughton, DJ Wilson, Sam Merrill, Treveon Graham and Bryn Forbes.

High: Holiday, DJ Augustin, Bobby Portis, Nik Stauskas, Jaylen Adams, Jordan Nwora, Sam Merrill and Rayjon Tucker.

Low: Eric Bledsoe, George Hill, Wesley Matthews, Sterling Brown, Robin Lopez, Kyle Korver, Frank Mason, Cameron Reynolds, Ersan Ilyasova and Marvin Williams.

Ranking: 1 in the Eastern Conference during the 2019-2020 tournament.

PROJECTION: 50 victories

.Source