Bucks projected lineup and rotations heading into 2023-24 season
The Milwaukee Bucks have been one of the best teams in the league since 2019 and made minor adjustments to their team this offseason. Here is their projected lineup for the 2024 season.
The Milwaukee Bucks finished the 2023 season with a record of 58-24, which was the best in the NBA. After finishing the last half of the regular season scorching hot, the Bucks had high hopes of winning another championship but would have a massive upset in the first round to the Miami Heat.
Despite the Bucks’ regular season success, there were so massive flaws that had plagued them throughout the season. The first being the wrist injury to Khris Middleton forcing him to miss the first 20 games of the season. Then after playing seven of their next eight games, he would miss another 18 games after that. The second being their coach Mike Budenholzer whom they replaced with Adrian Griffin.
The Bucks were able to resign key pieces and sign small role players to hopefully put themselves in a position to win another championship. Here is their projected lineup.
Milwaukee Bucks starting point guard: Jrue Holiday
This is no surprise here as Jrue Holiday has been the starting point guard for the Bucks for the last three seasons. In those three seasons, Holiday has given the Bucks 18.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 1.5 steals on 49/40/80 splits and made the All-Defensive team every single year.
In the absence of Khris Middleton, he turned himself into a great second option and had one of the best seasons of his career averaging 19.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 7.4 assists on 48/38/86 splits and made the All-Star after not making one for a decade.
Holiday is the perfect starting point guard for this and the perfect third option for this team. He runs the offense extremely well as his assists have never been this high before. He takes the playmaking responsibility away from Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo which even though they are solid at, they shouldn’t always be required to run it.
Holiday is also the best two-way point guard in the league as well. He’s been an All-NBA defender five times so he can guard the other team’s best perimeter player and with the Bucks he’s been very efficient with scoring the basketball.
Others who could receive minutes: Jazian Gortman, Khris Middleton, and Giannis Antetokounmpo
At the moment the Bucks currently don’t have a bonafide backup point guard but they do have a bunch of other solid options. Jazian Gortman is currently the player other than Holiday who is a true point guard but, as an undrafted player, there’s a chance he won’t play that many minutes to start the season.
What is more likely to happen with the Bucks backup point guard situation is them having Giannis being the “point forward.” There were times Giannis and Holiday did not share the court together and Giannis was the primary ball handler which is something that will definitely happen.
If there is a scenario where Khris Middleton and Holiday don’t share the court together then Middleton will take on some of the point guard responsibility.