Can the Bucks bounce back from their underwhelming performance last season? That’s the big question on most hoop fans’ mind. Well, the expectations were sky high when they added superstar Damian Lillard via a blockbuster trade last summer. However, a first-round exit in the playoffs gave the Bucks a harsh reality check. And while they hope to get back to title contention, former NBA executive Bob Myers exposed four glaring concerns that could hinder Milwaukee’s success once again.

Surely, the Bucks have all the right tools to climb the mountaintop with two elite superstars in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Dame, and a supporting cast with prior championship experience. While addressing their potential for next season, Myers made an interesting comparison, “Look at Dallas. Dallas didn’t even make the play-in tournament and everybody wrote ‘em off.” Talking about last season, the former Warriors’ GM commended Luka Doncic and Co. for proving the critics wrong and reaching the finals. “We’re very quick to dismiss things when they don’t work right away.” He added, hinting that Dame and Giannis are getting the same treatment after last season’s failure.

Then, he pointed out that the Bucks did not get enough time to build proper chemistry. However, he quickly countered his own point saying, “Why didn’t they have enough time? (1) Well, they were hurt. (2) They fired their coach. (3) No continuity. (4) Too much drama.” Yes, these four issues eventually led to the team’s downfall following the Lillard trade. Obviously, the first major concern was both Dame and Giannis being injured toward the end of the season and The Greek Freak was even forced to sit out for the entire series against the Pacers due to a lingering calf injury.

“That’s the first time in my career that (this has) ever happened to me. I have to do a better job of taking care of my body.” Giannis said after his team’s elimination. Meanwhile, Dame was dealing with an Achilles injury of his own and was at partial health throughout the series. And injuries could be a major concern next season as well because Khris Middleton has recently undergone surgeries on both his ankles and all the Bucks’ stars are now on the older side except Giannis. Sure enough, the other three issues are equally glaring!

Bucks lost continuity following Adrian Griffin’s firing as drama ensued resulting in their failure

While injuries were one aspect, the Bucks also went through a major change in the middle of the season. With Adrian Griffin taking over after Mike Budenholzer’s departure, the head coach did a brilliant job to start the season and led the team to a 30-13 record. However, in a shocking move, the Bucks fired Griffin and brought in Doc Rivers to take over in the new Dame-Giannis era. And that experiment quickly turned into a disaster as Rivers ended the season with a 18-20 record. Sure, the team finished as the third seed, but most of those wins came when Griffin was the head coach.

Moreover, this negatively affected the team’s continuity as Bob Myers pointed out on NBA Today. And drama quickly followed! Facing constant failure, Rivers began blaming the players instead of taking accountability for the losses. Following an embarrassing loss against the heavily shorthanded Grizzlies, Rivers remarked, “We had some guys here, some guys in Cabo.” Meanwhile, Jrue Holiday was succeeding in Boston, leaving many wondering if the Bucks made a mistake letting him go for Dame. And drama escalated when fans began doubting the Giannis-Dame duo.

At this point, the questions outweigh the answers for the Bucks. And they need to prove that they can still get their act together and contend for a title. Even Myers claimed that with a player like Giannis, they have a shot, “When you have a Top five player, you always have a chance to win a championship.” But the key will be to get rid of all the drama and stay healthy for the entire year to keep the title dream alive. Do you think the Bucks can achieve that goal?