The Milwaukee Bucks have been eliminated in the first round in each of the last three playoffs. Nine-time All-NBA power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo wasn’t available at all two seasons ago for the club’s first round series defeat against the Indiana Pacers, but he was perfectly healthy this year.

Still, the Bucks weren’t able to take down Indiana. Heading into next year, the Bucks won’t have an All-Star at point guard, as they decided to waive an injured Damian Lillard earlier this summer.

Despite only having one All-Star on the roster in Antetokounmpo, one NBA pundit has a bold prediction for what the Bucks are going to be able to accomplish next year.

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While speaking on The Ringer’s “The Zach Lowe Show,” Michael Pina made a bold prediction that, if everything breaks right, the Bucks could end up being a four-seed in the Eastern Conference next season.

Pina believes that the team’s move to bring Myles Turner in could pay dividends right away. He also mentions that Antetokounmpo gives them a chance to compete in a weak Eastern Conference.

Antetokounmpo is still one of the best players in the NBA. He finished among the top three in MVP voting this past season, so he can still carry a team to the playoffs.

This past season, the 48-34 Bucks were the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, with Lillard missing the last few weeks of the season with a blood clot in his calf.

The 29-year-old Turner represents an upgrade over this current vintage of Brook Lopez, 37, when it comes to the center spot. He is a better 3-point shooter and shot-blocker than Lopez was, which pairs well with Antetokounmpo.

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Without Lillard, the Bucks don’t really have a guard whom they can rely on to score the ball at a high level. They don’t have someone who can run the pick-and-roll with Turner or Antetokounmpo to put pressure on the defense.

Turner will now become the second-best player for the Bucks. If forward Kyle Kuzma can improve on his play from when he got traded in the middle of the season, they have a shot to get that fourth seed.

With the Pacers and the Boston Celtics missing their best players for most or all of the 2025-26 season, there is clearly a void in the East. The Bucks feel confident they can fill that void as long as Antetokounmpo decides to stay.

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