If nothing else, the Milwaukee Bucks are consistent. Their 2024-25 campaign's success depended on a breakthrough from one of their supporting characters. Andre Jackson Jr.’s sophomore campaign has lacked the offensive development that was required of him. The leap has not come. He’s averaged fewer than five points per game.
Khris Middleton’s subsequent trade at the deadline yielded them Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma. Ultimately, Kuzma was an underwhelming trade deadline acquisition. As the No. 2 scoring option in Washington, Kuzma was a crucial element in getting the Wizards into a prime lottery position. He’s been one of the least efficient volume scorers in the league while offering very little playmaking from the wing.
As a Wizard, he averaged 15.2 points a night, while shooting 42 percent from the field, knocking it down at a 22 percent clip from downtown and accumulating 2.5 assists to 2.3 turnovers.
In four games as a Buck, Kuzma has been equally frustrating. In Kuzma’s defense, he still hasn’t had an opportunity to participate in a lineup alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo. Unless Kuzma busts out of this slump, Milwaukee will continue drifting further and further away from the NBA's elite. Here's where they stand in current power rankings.
Milwaukee Bucks post-All-Star power rankings
Publication | Post-All-Star Power Ranking | Pre-season Power Ranking |
|---|---|---|
14th | 11th | |
11th | 12th (predicted to go 46-36) | |
12th | 9th | |
11th | 8th | |
11th | 8th | |
12th | 8th |
The Bucks are stuck in no-man’s land — competitive enough to feel like they’re heading toward the summit, but far enough to feel like their star players aged 30 and 34 will run out of oxygen before they have what they need to reach it.
For the most part, Milwaukee is settling into the soggy middle of the NBA's hierarchy. NBA.com's John Schumann and The Athletic's Mike Prada were the most accurate prognosticators, picking the Bucks to go 11th and 12th respectively before the season began.
Over their last 10 games, Milwaukee has stumbled into quicksand, losing six and allowing 119.1 points per 100 possessions, the 10th-highest in the league. There are mitigating circumstances for the Bucks defensive regression. Antetokounmpo has missed six consecutive games since Feb. 2 However, a consensus has solidified. Through the first half, almost every power ranking considers the Bucks as a team knocking on the door to the top 10.
In a majority of the power rankings, Milwaukee is juxtaposed behind the Clippers (10th).
The 31-23 Clippers unlocked an Al-Star in Norm Powell, have played some of the stingiest defense in the league, ranking second in defensive efficiency, then dipped into the buyout market and emerged with Ben Simmons, playing a small-ball 5. Like Milwaukee, the Clippers have also failed to draft well, even trading Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for a player who is no longer in a Clippers uniform. Still, they’ve shed their roster skin and rejuvenated themselves in a manner that Milwaukee hasn’t. Their average power ranking stands well ahead of Milwaukee’s despite losing Paul George for nothing in the offseason, and not having Kawhi Leonard available for large chunks of the season.
Their 28 wins are tied with Golden State’s win total. At the deadline, Golden State acquired Jimmy Butler. Butler previously conveyed the message that he was uninterested in playing with Golden State or Milwaukee. Golden State made the trade anyway and has gone 3-1 with him since, during their best defensive stretch of the season.
Milwaukee’s position hasn’t changed from early in the season when all eyes were scrutinizing their growth potential around the edges. Sitting outside the top 10 in the perception of league insiders without much space for growth doesn’t bode well heading into the final stretch of the season.