It’s December and that means the NBA season is starting back up again. After coming off an NBA Championship, Milwaukee Bucks fans thought that the momentum would keep going into the begining of this season, however the team’s performance to start the season was not what most fans expected. 

After beating the Phoenix Suns to win the title, the Bucks started the season below .500, they have really turned it around and have been playing very well. Many fans think they can repeat as champions.”I think this year for the Bucks we have a real shot at repeating. We added a lot of good bench contributions that can score the ball and take some weight off of Giannis and Middleton,” sophomore Collin Kramp said. 

Other fans think they will not do as well because of the loss of a great defensive player, PJ Tucker. Tucker had a stand out playoff performance, making great plays and playing shut down defense against very skilled players.”I do not think the Bucks will have as much success as last year because they lost PJ Tucker who was a tough player,and I feel like he brought the Bucks together,” junior Grayson Sinks said.

Currently, two players that make an impact on the team are injured: Center Brook Lopez, who averaged 8.0 points per game, and 5.0 rebounds per game, was out due to back issues. Lopez had just had back surgery, and the Bucks franchise does not know when he will be up and playing. Bobby Portis is filling in the center position. In addition, guard Donte DiVincenzo has been injured since the first round of the playoffs last year after tearing his ACL, and  is also still out. He averaged 10.4 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 3.1 APG last year. 

Although the team lost Tucker, they did acquire new players such as Grayson Allen, who has been doing well this season. He has been averaging 16.0 PPG, 3.9 RPG, and 1.4 APG per game. ”Grayson Allen is a great scorer and he can do everything and compliments Giannis very well in the pick and roll,” Kramp said.

 With a lot of the Bucks starters being injured, bench players are getting more minutes in the games, such as Jordan Nwora, Semi Ojeleye, and Rodney Hood. This is why some people think the team won’t do as well. ”I think that the Bucks bench has made a negative impact on the Bucks because they are not making a difference as shown by their record which isn’t very good especially after a Championship,” Sinks said. 

 One positive is that star player Giannis Antetokounpo,  has started shooting more threes, and jump shots during practices and games, and is known for driving to the paint especially in pick and roll situations, to get contact layups and open dunks. 

Teams will have to create new ways to guard him this season.”Giannis being able to shoot will be great for the team because it will let us spread out the offense and let the lane be clogged, so that would clear up room for backdoor cuts,” Kramp said. 

Once the injured players come back, fans are hoping for a better outcome for the season. In the Eastern Conference, the Chicago Bulls and the Brooklyn Nets are going to be the biggest competition to the Bucks and currently the Nets are 15-6. “I think the Bulls will be a competition for the Bucks because they picked up Alex Caruso and their team is just looking balanced,” sophomore Raygun Uremovich said. 

Recently, the Bucks signed Demarcus Cousins. In his first game Cousins played 15 minutes and scored 7 points.” It is good to have veteran players but I do not know what he is going to bring to the Bucks,” sophomore Jack Bauer said. The Milwaukee Bucks are 16-9 and are hopefully going to play well enough to repeat and create better chances to win another championship.