It’s been a fun start to the NBA season for a lot of players and teams.
The defending champion Boston Celtics are playing like a team on a mission. Boston through four games is putting up 124.3 points per game and has an average margin of victory of 15 points.
Old Man James before struggling in an Oct. 28 loss at Phoenix, has looked great. James put up a 32/14/10 triple-double in a 4-point win over Sacramento on Oct. 26.
Young guns Paolo Banchero and Tyrese Maxey have had big nights early on.
One team that doesn’t look like it’s enjoying itself? The Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bucks were, and still are, expected to be a factor in the title picture. Milwaukee has one of the three best players in the world in Giannis Antetokounmpo, and one of the best guards in the league in Damian Lillard. The Bucks, though, have an old roster. Milwaukee due to its recent success doesn’t have any young players on its roster to take the load off the older players.
The Bucks are 1-3 this season. Milwaukee has already lost to Chicago and Brooklyn — two teams expected to be in the Cooper Flagg/Ace Bailey race. The Bucks on Oct. 28 lost in Boston, which isn’t the worst thing. Giannis and Lillard in the loss combined for 63 points, 17 rebounds and 13 assists. The rest of the Bucks combined for 45 points on 16/41 shooting. Milwaukee’s one win came in the opener in Philadelphia, when the Sixers were without Joel Embiid and Paul George.
The slow start to the season continues a trend that started with a coaching change.
Milwaukee is 18-22 since hiring Doc Rivers on Jan. 29. The team was 32-14 under Adrian Griffin before firing Griffin more than halfway through his first season on the bench.
It’s unclear what the Bucks can do to turn things around.
Milwaukee doesn’t have control of its own draft picks until 2031. The only players on the roster with real trade value are Lillard and Antetokounmpo. Khris Middleton could fetch a decent return, but he can’t stay healthy.
In our season preview, I picked the Bucks to finish second in the Central Division and fifth in the East. It’s early, but that may have been a bit generous.
NBA Power Rankings
1. Boston Celtics (1)
2. Oklahoma City Thunder (2)
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (11)
4. Phoenix Suns (10)
5. LA Lakers (14)
6. Dallas Mavericks (9)
7. Orlando Magic (13)
8. Minnesota Timberwolves (6)
9. LA Clippers (20)
10. Denver Nuggets (3)
11. New York Knicks (4)
12. New Orleans Pelicans (15)
13. Golden State Warriors (18)
14. Houston Rockets (19)
15. Memphis Grizzlies (7)
16. Miami Heat (16)
17. Atlanta Hawks (21)
18. Chicago Bulls (25)
19. Philadelphia 76ers (5)
20. Sacramento Kings (17)
21. Indiana Pacers (12)
22. Milwaukee Bucks (8)
23. Charlotte Hornets (26)
24. San Antonio Spurs (22)
25. Portland Trail Blazers (27)
26. Brooklyn Nets (29)
27. Washington Wizards (30)
28. Toronto Raptors (28)
29. Utah Jazz (23)
30. Detroit Pistons (24)
*Previous week’s ranking in parenthesis
