Last week, we invited Milwaukee Bucks fans to take our annual fan survey. We\u2019ve tabulated the results and it\u2019s time to take a closer look at the thoughts and feelings of fans heading into the 2025-26 season.<\/p>\n
As always, we\u2019d like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who regularly reads, interacts with and comments on our Bucks content here at The Athletic and a special thank you to our subscribers who took the time to fill out the survey.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s dig into the results and find the biggest takeaways from this year\u2019s survey.<\/p>\n
(Note: The survey received 694 total responses, but some respondents skipped questions.)<\/p>\n
Championship ceiling now in question<\/p>\n
In the first four years of this exercise, Bucks fans, before the season starts, had overwhelmingly believed their team has enough talent as an organization to win an NBA championship. That is not the case heading into the upcoming season \u2014 a majority of Bucks fans (53.1 percent) do not believe that the organization has enough talent to win a title in the 2025-26 season.<\/p>\n
Do the Bucks have enough talent as an organization to win the 2025-26 NBA championship?
No: 53.1 percent
Yes: 46.9 percent
Responses: 688<\/p>\n
The fans\u2019 lack of belief in a championship ceiling showed up more dramatically in response to our second question. Only 18.8 percent of fans claimed to be either \u201csomewhat confident\u201d or \u201cextremely confident\u201d that the Bucks will win the 2025-26 NBA championship. That is the lowest level of confidence expressed by fans ahead of a season in this survey.<\/p>\n
How confident are you the Bucks will win the 2025-26 NBA championship?
Extremely confident: 2.9 percent
Somewhat confident: 15.9 percent
Not that confident: 47 percent
Not at all confident: 34.2 percent
Responses: 690<\/p>\n
Before the Bucks\u2019 attempt at repeating as NBA champions before the 2021-22 season, 79.6 percent of fans chose one of those two positions. Last season, that number had dropped to 42.9 percent and now that number, which was the previous low mark among respondents, has been nearly cut in half.<\/p>\n
That sentiment among fans is understandable. When looking at the Bucks\u2019 roster, Giannis Antetokounmpo is not surrounded by a proven championship core like the team had in 2022 with Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez, nor does he have a nine-time All-Star like Damian Lillard as his running mate. Lillard tearing his left Achilles tendon in the Bucks\u2019 first-round loss to the Indiana Pacers left the roster at a deficit. Bucks general manager Jon Horst was forced to do the best that he could to assemble a roster around Antetokounmpo that could win games. Fans believe that this roster isn\u2019t at the same level as previous seasons.<\/p>\n
Playoffs remain the expectation<\/p>\n
While respondents feel that the Bucks are likely not championship contenders this upcoming season, there is still no doubt about the team\u2019s ability to make the playoffs. Only seven respondents predicted that the Bucks will miss the 2026 NBA playoffs; a whopping 99 percent predict the Bucks will make the playoffs this season.<\/p>\n
The major difference from previous seasons, though, comes in what fans believe the Bucks\u2019 playoff seed will be.<\/p>\n
In last year\u2019s survey<\/a>, fans had lowered their expectations for the Bucks to be the Eastern Conference\u2019s best, with only 3.3 percent of respondents expecting a No. 1 seed. That ended up being smart as Milwaukee secured the fifth seed in the 2025 playoffs, but nearly 70 percent of respondents thought the team would still finish with the second or third seed. Only 4.4 percent of respondents to last year\u2019s survey correctly predicted the Bucks would be on the road to start the postseason.<\/p>\n If the Bucks make the playoffs in 2026, what would you expect their seed to be in the East? This time around, Bucks fans are not expecting their team to be one of the East\u2019s top two teams. A majority of respondents (52.7 percent) believe the Bucks will host a first-round playoff series as the East\u2019s third or fourth seed, but the next largest group (37.5 percent) thinks the Bucks will be on the road to start the postseason. It\u2019s also worth noting that most fans (better than 95 percent) expect the Bucks to avoid the Play-In tournament.<\/p>\n Confidence in Horst remains, skepticism in Rivers grows<\/p>\n The 2025-26 season will be the third season general manager Jon Horst and head coach Doc Rivers will be working together with the Bucks. It will be Horst\u2019s eighth season as the organization\u2019s lead decision maker and Rivers\u2019 third season with the Bucks after the veteran coach took over for Adrian Griffin halfway through the 2023-24 season.<\/p>\n Last season\u2019s survey was the first time Bucks fans exhibited some skepticism in Horst\u2019s ability as a general manager, as it was the first time better than 10 percent of respondents expressed distrust in the Bucks\u2019 GM. Those numbers remained static in this year\u2019s survey as respondents relayed roughly the same amount of confidence in Horst.<\/p>\n How confident are you in Bucks general manager Jon Horst? There was a slight decrease in confidence as only 55.7 percent of respondents claimed to be \u201csomewhat confident\u201d in Horst after 57.6 percent of respondents answered that way before the 2024-25 season and only 27.4 percent of respondents claimed to be \u201cextremely confident\u201d in Horst after 28.4 percent of respondents answered that way last offseason. While that is a slight decrease, fans overwhelmingly still seem to believe Horst can do the job for the Bucks, despite three consecutive first-round exits from the postseason.<\/p>\n Respondents have not extended that same confidence to Rivers.<\/p>\n How confident are you in Bucks head coach Doc Rivers? With 62.7 percent of respondents showing a lack of confidence in Rivers, another 20.3 percent of respondents go as far as saying they are \u201cnot at all confident\u201d in the veteran head coach. This is a nearly 180-degree change from last offseason, when 57 percent of respondents claimed to be \u201csomewhat confident\u201d and 7.4 percent of respondents claimed to be \u201cextremely confident\u201d in Rivers.<\/p>\n Under Rivers, the Bucks have been eliminated from the playoffs in the first round by the Indiana Pacers in back-to-back seasons and compiled a 65-53 regular season record (.551 winning percentage).<\/p>\n Giannis Antetokounmpo, better than ever<\/p>\n If you\u2019re curious why fans still feel overwhelmingly confident about the Bucks\u2019 ability to make the playoffs, look no further than where they rank Antetokounmpo among the best players in the world.<\/p>\n Among all NBA players, where does Giannis Antetokounmpo rank? While Oklahoma City point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won his first NBA MVP and Antetokounmpo finished third in voting, respondents actually ranked the Bucks\u2019 two-time MVP even higher than they did last offseason. In last year\u2019s survey, 93.3 percent of respondents ranked Antetokounmpo as one of the five best players in the world. This time around, 97.9 percent ranked Antetokounmpo in the top five. Last year, 20.5 percent of respondents named Antetokounmpo the best player in the world. This year, 25 percent had him the as best.<\/p>\n After Antetokounmpo\u2019s seventh consecutive top-four finish in NBA MVP voting, it is tough to disagree with the fans\u2019 ranking. He is undoubtedly one of the best players in the world and anyone saying he is the best would have a credible argument. It will be interesting to see if Antetokounmpo carrying this Bucks roster, which is perceived to be less talented than the East\u2019s other top teams, to the postseason would put him in position to win his third NBA MVP.<\/p>\n Speaking of Antetokounmpo\u2019s time in Milwaukee \u2026<\/p>\n How long do you believe Giannis Antetokounmpo will be a member of the Bucks? For the first time, we asked about Antetokounmpo\u2019s future in Milwaukee in this year\u2019s survey. While there has always been considerable conversation about NBA teams that hold interest in trading for Antetokounmpo, this summer featured more conversation about Antetokounmpo leaving Milwaukee than ever before. Despite the endless rumor cycle, the largest majority of respondents, 48.7 percent, believe Antetokounmpo will never play for another NBA team.<\/p>\n Questions remain throughout rest of the roster<\/p>\n While the Bucks\u2019 roster might not look all that different than the one that took the floor for the final game of the 2024-25 season, it will be drastically different than the one that took the floor at the start of last season when the Bucks were hoping to lean on the abilities of a core four of Antetokounmpo, Lillard, Lopez and Middleton. Antetokounmpo remains, but those three players are no longer with the team and they will be missed.<\/p>\n Which of these former Bucks will be missed most on the court in the 2025-26 season? According to respondents, Middleton will be missed the most. It was surprising to see fans choose Middleton over Lillard as Middleton\u2019s health kept him from making as large an impact as hoped last season. Yet, his chemistry with Antetokounmpo and tough shotmaking ability are undeniable. His positional size will also be missed as the Bucks continue to look for a big wing that can make an impact on offense and defense.<\/p>\n Antetokounmpo has been joined at the All-Star Game by a teammate in six of his nine All-Star appearances: Middleton (2019, \u201920, \u201922), Holiday (2023) and Lillard (2024, \u201925). In our survey, respondents were split on whether Turner can make it happen for a seventh time. It would be Turner\u2019s first career All-Star appearance.<\/p>\n Will Myles Turner be an NBA All-Star in the 2025-26 season? To start his career, Turner was making a much bigger impact on the defensive end, twice leading the NBA in blocks per game before the Pacers asked him to start taking on a larger offensive load in his eighth NBA season. In Milwaukee, he will be asked to make a significant impact on both ends. He will need to handle a significant scoring load as a floor spacer and screener for Antetokounmpo and also support the two-time MVP on the defensive backline as a rim protector, so there will be significant opportunity to put up big numbers.<\/p>\n Similar to their feelings on Turner\u2019s potential for this season, respondents found themselves split on the impact Kevin Porter Jr. can make this season. When Lillard was sidelined because of deep vein thrombosis, Porter received a huge opportunity to close out the regular season. Opinions were scattered regarding whether Porter would be able to replicate those results or potentially improve upon them with more opportunity in Milwaukee this season.<\/p>\n In the 2025-26 season, what do you expect Porter to average with the Bucks? Without an All-Star point guard as Antetokounmpo\u2019s running mate this season, it\u2019s clear there will be more offensive opportunities for players throughout the roster. It remains to be seen which players will be able to run with that opportunity.<\/p>\n Clear preferences for the starting lineup<\/p>\n Heading into this season, it is easy to put two players into the Bucks\u2019 starting lineup. Horst made the biggest free agent splash of the summer by acquiring Turner, so it feels safe to assume he will be starting alongside Antetokounmpo when the Bucks open against the Washington Wizards on Oct. 22.<\/p>\n Outside of those two spots, though, Rivers has decisions to make to put together the optimal starting lineup. While there are a lot of combinations to consider, fans in this survey found the exercise relatively straightforward, with three clear choices at each of the open positions. According to this year\u2019s survey, respondents believe this should be the Bucks\u2019 opening night starting lineup:<\/p>\n Point guard: Kevin Porter Jr. \u2014 66.8 percent of respondents chose Porter over Ryan Rollins (21 percent) and Cole Anthony These preferences make sense. The Bucks\u2019 most-used lineup in their playoff series against the Pacers was Porter, Trent, Green, Antetokounmpo and Portis. Across 64 minutes in five games, that lineup was a plus-6.3 points per 100 possessions and that happened with an offensive rating of only 106.3, which means that lineup was incredibly effective defensively. Survey respondents clearly believe that for the Bucks to find success this season, they need to surround Antetokounmpo with as much 3-point shooting as possible on offense, but also prioritize quickness over size on the defensive end.<\/p>\n It will be interesting to see if Rivers feels the same way as fans because the starting lineup proposed by respondents would be quite small. Porter has good positional size \u2014 6-foot-4 with a 6-foot-9 wingspan \u2014 for a point guard and Trent and Green are both strong for shooting guards, but not having a player over 6-foot-5 to guard the league\u2019s plethora of playmaking big wings would be a bold decision. It would also be a surprise to see Rivers make such a decision, considering he chose to prioritize the Bucks\u2019 size to end the regular season by playing both Prince and Kuzma out of position at shooting guard and small forward, respectively.<\/p>\n A clear fan favorite with a new look roster<\/p>\n Given the chance to choose their favorite member of the Bucks, it will come as no surprise that respondents overwhelmingly chose Antetokounmpo as 91.8 percent of respondents picked the face of the franchise and that is the highest percentage of the vote he has taken for respondent\u2019s favorite player.<\/p>\n 2022<\/a>: 82.9 percent In previous surveys, when we took Antetokounmpo off the board and asked for fans\u2019 next favorite player, Middleton and Holiday dominated the voting with Lopez also taking a solid portion in each survey. But with so many familiar faces no longer on the roster, Bobby Portis \u2014 the player with the second-longest tenure in Milwaukee \u2014 ran away with this year\u2019s vote for favorite player not named Giannis Antetokounmpo.<\/p>\n (Photo of Giannis Antetokounmpo: John Fisher \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Last week, we invited Milwaukee Bucks fans to take our annual fan survey. 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No. 1 or No. 2: 5.0 percent
No. 3 or No. 4: 52.7 percent
No. 5 or No. 6: 37.5 percent
No. 7 or No. 8: 4.8 percent
Responses: 691<\/p>\n
Extremely confident: 27.4 percent
Somewhat confident: 55.7 percent
Not that confident: 13.2 percent
Not at all confident: 3.7 percent
Responses: 691<\/p>\n
Extremely confident: 4.7 percent
Somewhat confident: 32.6 percent
Not that confident: 42.4 percent
Not at all confident: 20.3 percent
Responses: 688<\/p>\n
Best player in the world: 25.0 percent
Top 3 player in the world: 61.3 percent
Top 5 player in the world: 11.6 percent
Top 10 player in the world: 2.0 percent
Outside the top 10 players in the world: 0.1 percent
Responses: 692<\/p>\n
Giannis will only play for the Bucks: 48.7
Giannis will be with another team in the next calendar year: 4.4
Giannis will be with another team in the next two years: 16.2
Giannis will be with another team in the next five years: 11.6
Giannis will be with another team at some point before retiring: 19.1
Responses: 692<\/p>\n
Damian Lillard: 31.1 percent
Khris Middleton: 49.9 percent
Brook Lopez: 19 percent
Responses: 684<\/p>\n
Yes: 45.7
No: 54.3
Responses: 691<\/p>\n
Combined 19.9 or fewer points\/rebounds\/assists per game: 28.4 percent
Combined 20-24.9 points\/rebounds\/assists per game: 45.1 percent
Combined 25-29.9 points\/rebounds\/assists per game: 24.5 percent
Combined 30 or more points\/rebounds\/assists per game: 2.0 percent
Responses: 689<\/p>\n
Shooting guard: Gary Trent Jr. \u2014 63.5 percent of respondents chose Trent over AJ Green (36.5 percent)
Small forward: AJ Green \u2014 57.6 percent of respondents chose Green over Kyle Kuzma (24.1 percent) and Taurean Prince (18.3 percent)
Power forward: Antetokounmpo
Center: Turner<\/p>\n
2023<\/a>: 77.5 percent
2024<\/a>: 78.6 percent<\/p>\n