Washington Wizards vs. Milwaukee Bucks Preview: Getting Insight On The Bucks (Q and A)

The Washington Wizards are coming off a lousy victory, but a victory nonetheless. Their first win against the Orlando Magic wasn’t pretty. John Wall and Bradley Beal were forced to carry the team late in the game and it looked like they would drop their first contest of the season without their heroics.

Thankfully, it’s an 82-game season.

The Wizards are working on implementing a new offense and they’re going to get some bruises along the way. With that said, they have to put it together rather quickly. The Eastern Conference is much improved and there’s no longer such a thing as an “easy win”.

While the Cleveland Cavaliers have been penciled in as the conference’s best team, it’s truly wide open. Teams like the Washington Wizards, Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls all believe they have just as good of a chance at competing this season.

However, the same could be said for the teams that often go unmentioned.

The Milwaukee Bucks surprised everyone by making the NBA Playoffs last year and they’re looking to add onto their success this season. Led by Michael Carter-Williams, Khris Middleton, Jabari Parker, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greg Monroe, the Bucks are looking to finish with a top seed in the East.

Before tonight’s game in Milwaukee, I caught up with Adam McGee of FanSided’s Buck’s site — Behind The Buck Pass. Adam was kind enough to answer some questions about the Bucks and tonight’s game.

The Milwaukee Bucks have a ton of upside, but there’s some pressure to win now following their playoff appearance last year. What is the overall feeling about the team this season? What are the goals, given their success last year?

The feeling has generally been one of great optimism.

The offseason was perfect in so many ways. Not only did the Bucks land a marquee free agent for maybe the first time in franchise history when Greg Monroe signed, but the unveiling of the organization’s rebranded logos and jerseys has also given the sense that this could be a new era for the franchise.

As a result, fans are hoping to see real progress.

Getting above .500 and seeing where that takes them is probably the primary goal for the players, but home court and maybe even a first round series win shouldn’t be beyond them if they play to their potential.

The Bucks just have to pick up one win at a time, continue to learn and grow as a young group, and hope that the results take care of themselves.

With Jabari Parker, Giannis and Khris Middleton on-board (sorry, MCW…), the Bucks have suddenly become a solid destination for free agents. They signed Greg Monroe in the off-season, which was pretty unexpected. How much of a difference will he make this season? What does he add that Milwaukee was missing last year?

One way or another, Monroe is going to completely change what Milwaukee’s style of play is all about this year.

Offensively, he’s going to offer a true low post presence that should not only offer it’s own threat, but also create greater space and freedom for the likes of Parker, Antetokounmpo and Middleton to thrive.

The intensity he can offer on the boards was on display on Wednesday with his seven offensive rebounds against the Knicks, and considering the Bucks struggled in that department last year, that’s a big boost. It just remains to be seen whether Monroe’s defensive inefficiencies can be masked by his teammates, or if they’ll hurt Milwaukee in the bigger picture.

Washington seems to have an identity going forward. John Wall, Bradley Beal and Otto Porter are leading a up-tempo offense that’s focused on perimeter shooting and spacing. What is Milwaukee’s identity?

Right now, it’s length and athleticism, but there’s definitely room for that be refined much further.

Much like Washington, Milwaukee love to switch up the pace and go in attack mode, but the difference is that they currently don’t have that same type of spacing that the Wizards are blessed with.

Defense was the team’s trademark last year as they were the second best team in the league on that side of the ball. That system was built on high IQ basketball and excellent communication, allowing the players to utilize their natural length as effectively as possible.

With new additions coming into the mix this summer, there’s a real chance that identity could become murkier again this season though, so the Bucks are still in the process of finding themselves in that regard.

As I’m sure you’re aware from the previous question, I’m not a huge fan of Michael Carter-Williams. I’m aware that he has a ton of potential, but he lacks any elite skill that separates him from the other point guards in the golden-age of the position.

What can we expect from him this season? Is Jason Kidd going to make that much of a difference on his impact?

Personally, I feel the often talked about Jason Kidd effect is incredibly overrated.

Carter-Williams can only make improvements if he puts in the work himself and continues to develop his understanding of his role within the team. Carter-Williams is unlikely to be a star, but the reality is that’s the last thing the Bucks need him to be.

Milwaukee has four other guys capable of doing that, what they need from MCW is improved decision-making and a more consistent mentality. Carter-Williams is at his best when he plays with aggression, but there’s a balance to that too.

When he forces shots, the outcome is rarely good, if MCW can reach a point where he does little more than play lockdown defense, dishes to teammates and crashes the boards, he’ll become much more important to this team than many anticipate. They don’t need him to be the primary option.

What match-up are you looking forward to the most in the Wizards-Bucks game? And of course, give me a prediction…

I’d really love to see Giannis and Otto Porter get a chance to go at each other, although with the positional versatility of both guys that may not even come to pass. They have a lot in common and are going to be two of the NBA’s most exciting larger forwards for a long time to come.

Beal against Middleton will be fun too. Middleton can really lockdown on some of the best players around the league (as evidenced by Carmelo Anthony‘s 11 points on Wednesday), and I’m excited to see how he copes with Beal’s dynamism and ever-growing confidence.

This is going to be a really tight game, and I see it going down to the wire.

I think Milwaukee probably just has a little more figuring out to do over the first few games of the season though, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Washington just edge it unless Giannis can get the Bucks fired up on his return.

Next: 10 Bold Predictions For The Washington Wizards

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