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The Milwaukee Bucks have onboarded massive talent with the likes of All-Star Jrue Holiday and Bogdan Bogdanovic.
The moves are likely to maintain Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee, and it can mean an NBA championship for the Bucks in 2021. Here are the reasons why they are favorites for the 2021 NBA title.
5 Reasons why the Milwaukee Bucks are favorites to win the 2020-21 NBA Championship
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Jrue Holiday reaffirms the Milwaukee Bucks' starting lineup, as he is a good combo guard, who can play defense, score consistently and can also make plays for his teammates.
Holiday will be playing in his 12th NBA season at age 30, a great mix of experience and relative youth.
Bogdanović, on his side, is another player who can score with good volume at the wing positions and is a great off-ball player. He is a big deal for the Milwaukee Bucks in their quest for the NBA title.
The Milwaukee Bucks sent Eric Bledsoe, George Hill, and three first-round NBA Draft picks to the New Orleans Pelicans, as well as Donte DiVincenzo, Ersan Ilyasova, and D.J. Wilson to the Sacramento Kings.
The move could guarantee Giannis Antetokounmpo's future with the Milwaukee Bucks and his eventual five-year supermax deal with the team.
During the NBA offseason, the Milwaukee Bucks faced Antetokounmpo's possible departure. Still, the front office did a good job of surrounding him with talent and improving the team.
Here, we will see the five reasons why the Milwaukee Bucks are now favorites to win the 2021 NBA Championship.
Without further ado, let us start.
Solid regular-season level from the Milwaukee Bucks
In the last two NBA seasons, the Milwaukee Bucks have won 60 and 56 games in the 2018-19 season in the 2019-20 campaign.
They have reached the top spot of the Eastern Conference in the last two seasons and, although they didn't make it to the NBA Finals in the last two years, seeding might still be a strong tool for them in the 2021 NBA Playoffs.
Last year, Milwaukee had the second-best record at home during the regular season, with a 30-5 win-loss record (just behind the Philadelphia 76ers' 31-4). Of course, they did not get to play at home during the NBA Playoffs, although having two years of experience in the NBA Playoffs, under Mike Budenholzer's guidance might benefit them next year.
The Milwaukee Bucks have an established system
Talking about Mike Budenholzer, he has established a great system for the Milwaukee Bucks, which worked perfectly during the NBA regular season.
Since Budenholzer arrival, they became contenders for the NBA title, but only due to the level shown in the regular season.
Budenholzer had guided the Atlanta Hawks to the East's first seed back in the 2014-15 season and did the same for the Milwaukee Bucks. With him staying with the team and his established system, he will surely find a way to make the new arrangements work.
Firepower
Milwaukee Bucks possess a superstar, an All-Star scorer, and a good group of talented players last year, their current roster very different than thier previous ones.
After welcoming Jrue Holiday and Bogdan Bogdanović, the team's roster could be considered to have some 'firepower.' It is not at the level of the LA Lakers, LA Clippers, or the Brooklyn Nets but the Milwaukee Bucks's roster seems tough.
Adding two players who can really shoot from the outside (Holiday a 35% 3P shooter and Bogdanović a 37% 3P shooter) can be key for the Milwaukee Bucks' offense next year. Especially in the NBA Playoffs, when teams build a wall to defend against Giannis and limit the Bucks' offense to their outside shooting.
Now, that defense will not work as smoothly against Giannis, as Middleton, Holiday, and Bogdanović are highly reliable shooters and can make a play themselves.
The Milwaukee Bucks have an elite defense
In the last two NBA regular seasons, the Milwaukee Bucks have led the entire NBA in Defensive Rating under Mike Budenholzer.
Of course, they lost important pieces in defense during the trades for Holiday and Bogdanovic, but Antetokounmpo (the reigning NBA DPOY) and Brook López (second in the league in Defensive Rating, behind Giannis) were the team's best defenders last year.
The addition of a two-time All-Defensive player like Holiday should only enhance the Milwaukee Bucks' ability to play defense at an elite level.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounmpo's departure from the Milwaukee Bucks might still be possible, the choice is left to him. However, after the moves (not only who arrives, but what the team gave up for these players), Antetokounmpo could be convinced that the Milwaukee Bucks are willing to do anything to keep him on their roster.
Giannis is coming off of winning the last two NBA Most Valuable Player award, and also deservedly winning the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award last season, becoming only the fifth player in NBA history to win both awards during his career after Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, and Kevin Garnett.
Last season, Antetokounmpo broke the single-season NBA record for highest PER with 31.86, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain's previous record from the 1962-63 NBA season.
With the 25-year-old Greek player's talent and the players around him, the Milwaukee Bucks could win the NBA championship in 2021. However, it is still dependent on what Giannis Antetokounmpo can do for the team in the NBA Playoffs and how he can improve his game.
