Teams that heavily indulged in trades during the offseason primarily exist in the East. Paul George to the Sixers, KAT to New York, and the Celtics’ formidable core being among them. Still, there is a dangerous side which many feel were sleeping giants last season. Those are the Milwaukee Bucks. Their postseason run halted in the first round, with them lacking the bludgeoning threat of Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, their instabilities seemed visible from the very beginning.

Let’s start with the midseason coaching switch that got Doc Rivers at the helm. But more important, was the case of Damian Lillard. Fans screamed about the pick-and-roll tyranny he and the Greek Freak could cause. Yet, they used it sparingly. Notably, as a roller, Antetokounmpo only averaged 1.9 possessions per game. Was it because it was ineffective? No. Rather, the tandem just wasn’t prepared for it.

“The way Dame came in, similar to Kyrie in the middle of the season. Dame came in two days before camp. It just lends itself to not having great team connection and you know my guess is Dame thought he was going somewhere else and two days later he was in Milwaukee,” Rivers revealed.

Originally, all signs pointed at Lillard going to the Miami Heat. However, due to the last-minute switch, the Bucks didn’t have time to get familiar with his game. It frustrated not just the team, but even Dame Dolla. “When I got in, you could feel that from him,” said the revered head coach.

So the solution presented itself in front of Doc Rivers’ eyes. They had to build team chemistry. Over the summer, due to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s international commitments, he and Lillard didn’t directly link up. However, with training camp, the Bucks took a refined approach. They traveled to California with the aim of fostering strong team bonds since they were outside the confines of their homes in Milwaukee.

The coach genuinely believes the group as it is today, is far superior in connectivity than it was last season. But at the end of ti all, it depends on the team’s nucleus.

Giannis Antetokounmpo reveals his primary goal for the season

Traveling for training camp was an initiative Rivers asked for 10 days within his tenure. To him, it was the most vital part of going into the coming season. “It’s important that they’ll be riding in the car together to and from practice, going to dinners, spending time. No families. No friends around. Just us. I think that’s good for our team,” he said. However, what happens if the core can’t stay healthy?

So far, Khris Middleton has yet to integrate fully into the team training. Furthermore, over the last two seasons, Giannis Antetokounmpo, the motor of the squad has spent most of the postseason on the sidelines. Hence, this year, he has a crystal objective in mind. “My goal for this year is health. Like I have no other goal. Every time the game comes and we are able to leave the court healthy, lose or win it doesn’t matter,” he told the media.

The second act is his on-court synergy with Damian Lillard. They didn’t practice together all summer, but that doesn’t mean there was no interaction. In what was a difficult transition, Lillard revealed to be in constant communication with his star teammate all throughout the summer. Slowly, they began to figure each other out.

Additionally, since the coming of Doc Rivers, the duo has improved their pick-and-roll game significantly. They showed flashes of it later in the season. However, due to Giannis Antetokounmpo picking an injury, the playoff viability remains unknown. “Once you start to build chemistry, then I can start directing a little bit more because we are more connected, instead of me just trying to tell him what I want him to do [when] we haven’t even really worked together on it,” Lillard said of the same.

The potential is brimming through. The Bucks are bona fide contenders with a healthy roster. But can they stitch something valuable this year? Let us know your views in the comments below.