The Milwaukee Bucks made some massive changes to the starting lineup this offseason. They have now shed Damian Lillard from their roster and brought in Myles Turner, meaning there will be two new starters.
Milwaukee has been bounced from the first round of the playoffs in each of the last two years, so they are hoping to make a deeper run this season in what will be a weakened Eastern Conference.
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Despite the moves that the Bucks have made, one NBA pundit does not like the starting lineup that they will have this season.
Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report gives the Bucks a “D” for their starting lineup this year. He also has Kyle Kuzma in the starting lineup, a spot he did not occupy last season.
Hughes really dislikes what Myles Turner and Kevin Porter Jr. will give to this team.
“Myles Turner might be an even better complement to Giannis Antetokounmpo than Brook Lopez was (last season; not at Lopez’s peak), but that’s pretty much where the positivity ends,” Hughes writes.
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“Kevin Porter Jr. has had his moments, but he’s never contributed at a starter’s level on a winner, and it’s hard to get excited about Gary Trent Jr., who shot over 41.0 percent from deep last year and still graded out with a negative EPM [Estimated Plus-Minus],” Hughes notes.
The Bucks will need both Turner and Porter Jr. to be big parts of the team if they want to have any shot of coming out of the Eastern Conference.
Kuzma was one of the worst trade acquisitions any team made last year. Hughes dislikes what he gives to the team.
“Kyle Kuzma was one of the most damaging players in the league last season—inefficient from two- and three-point range and a disaster defensively,” Hughes notes. “Milwaukee will start him in hopes he can improve on a career-worst effort, but it’s only getting harder to imagine him making a positive impact on either end.”
If Kuzma gives them any sort of offensive push next season, they will have a shot to get home-court advantage in the playoffs. If he continues to be bad, they will be lottery-bound.
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