Bucks land an important piece, but is it enough?
As soon as the offseason started, the Milwaukee Bucks made some ripples throughout the league, trading for Pelican's Jrue Holiday. He fills a position and talent they've desperately needed to surround Giannis. However, Holiday isn't much of a household name. Coupled with Khris Middleton, this team doesn't seem to send shivers don't a spine. By all means, these guys are great ball players, and get paid the big bucks for a reason. Maybe going with a role playing team similar to this past years Miami Heat is their answer.
Giannis is only under contract for one more season. And he declined to request a trade after another unsuccessful season in the playoffs. Milwaukee keeps their star player, arguably one of the best players in the NBA for one more season. Can they get past their conference finals this year, and have a shot at winning a title since 1971?
The moves made in the past several days by the Bucks are absolutely worth it, if they can keep Giannis. He is their leader, their best player.
This past season, in 61 games played, Holiday averaged 19.1 points per game and 6.7 assists. Not his career best, but certainly good production.
Heading to Milwaukee, lead by Giannis, Holiday is more than likely to see a decrease in stats. However, he most likely won't care if it leads him to the playoffs and a ring.
This brings us to Khris Middleton. Don't get me wrong, he's a great player, and a hell of a shooter. But a 5-year, $178 million contract? He and Giannis are a great tandem, but Middleton can be inconsistent at times, and to be honest, isn't really worth all of that. A lot of people were surprised to see his contract extension back in 2019.
Middleton last year averaged 20.2 ppg and 3.4 assists. When a team has multiple guys average 20 ppg, thats really impressive. However, he's only averaged 16.3 ppg in his career. He's earned two consecutive All-Star appearances. Middleton just doesn't seem like the kind of player who can shoot lights out every time.
Jrue Holiday brings a little defensive power to their front that they do need. This Bucks team is still very good, very elite, but doesn't look scary enough to win the ring they've coveted for so long.
Comments
Post a Comment