Milwaukee Bucks NBA Preview Five Things to Watch 2014-15

It’s the dawn of a new era for the Milwaukee Bucks, with new ownership at the helm, a new coach on the sidelines, and (hopefully) a new approach to building a championship-caliber team.

The Bucks have really gone through the ringer over the past year, enduring a franchise-worst 15-67 season and a messy coaching change, yet fans might be as hopeful as ever. If anything, that just goes to show how maddening the status quo had become, but the optimism isn’t unfounded. Milwaukee now finds itself rebuilding in earnest, with a number of young and exciting players to lead the way.

Expectations won’t be high this season, but that’s probably not a bad thing. There’s still a lot of growing to do, and even if there’s now a clearer goal in mind, the journey is going to have its bumps. Fans will welcome those obstacles if they know the other side holds a real chance at greatness. For now, it’s just about taking the first steps.

With that in mind, here are five key things to watch for the 2014-2015 Milwaukee Bucks.

1. Can Larry Sanders bounce back from a lost season? Sanders endured about as bad a chain of events as could have been imagined last season. He voiced frustration over his poor start to the season, which seemed to stem from a difficulty in adjusting to coach Larry Drew’s system. Then in early November he injured his thumb in a nightclub fight, which held him out for nearly two months.

When he finally got on the court and started to play well, a rogue James Harden elbow fractured an orbital bone and ended his season. To top it all off, Sanders was slapped with a five-game suspension for violation of the NBA drug policy and took to Twitter to voice his opinion over marijuana legalization. So no, not exactly what the Bucks were hoping for after rewarding Sanders’ breakout 2012-2013 season with a four-year, $44 million contract extension.

Getting Sanders back on track will be a major priority for the team this season. At his best, Sanders is an elite defensive big man and a solid pick-and-roll partner. At his age, that’s an immensely valuable skill set, one that should nicely complement the Bucks’ other young players. But even if he can find that level of performance again, he has got to be able to stay on the court, and that means getting his off-court issues and silly technical fouls under control.

2. How will Jason Kidd adjust to coaching a young, rebuilding team? Talk about a change of scenery. In Brooklyn, Kidd had a roster stacked with future Hall-of-Fame players in a massive city. Now he moves to one of the NBA’s smallest markets and a roster full of young, unproven talent. No longer under a “Championship or Bust” edict, how will Kidd adjust to his new team’s priorities?

Kidd’s greatest strength in his lone season with the Nets was arguably his adaptability. When injuries wrecked his projected lineup, Kidd turned the team into long-range bombers and experimented with some unusual positional alignments. And before he has even coached a regular season game in Milwaukee, Kidd is already stirring up intrigue by intimating that Giannis Antetokounmpo could see extended time at point guard. Honestly, a little unconventionality would be welcome in Milwaukee right about now.

Eventually, Kidd will have to formulate some sort of cohesive plan for the roster, and while he will have a lot of flexibility to experiment with unusual strategies, the Bucks can’t afford to kick the can endlessly down the road. And it’s not just about offensive and defensive strategy; the Bucks played flat far too often last season, despite Drew’s repeated insistence that energy was one thing that would never be lacking. There’s a definite need for leadership from the coaching staff, which might mean lighting a fire under some backsides.

3. Updates on a new arena. The Bucks will play under new ownership for the first time in almost 30 years, but the future of the team in Wisconsin is not yet totally secure. New owners Wesley Edens and Marc Lasry have infused a new optimism (and plenty of cash) into the fan base, but the ominous “arena” question still hangs over the franchise. The NBA has already made it clear that the BMO Harris Bradley Center is not a viable option moving forward, which means the Bucks are effectively on the clock with their current lease set to expire in 2017.

The $200 million commitment from Edens, Lasry and exiting owner Herb Kohl is a big boost, but public money is likely to be required in the end. That means convincing the public that the Bucks are worth subsidizing to some degree, a tall task considering the apathetic nature of the current fan base. A new direction and some exciting young players should help to energize the city a bit, but showing a consistent vision – and results – will be key to convincing people the team is worth the cost.

For now, mobilizing local business and civic leaders is a top priority, as is finding an agreeable location for the team’s long-term home. Edens and Lasry have suggested they want to have a location selected by the end of the year, but there’s still a lot to work out in that regard as multiple parties try to finagle their way into the plans in search of a little extra cash.

4. Is Brandon Knight worth keeping around? Knight’s play last season was one of the few pleasant surprises. After a pair of uninspiring seasons in Detroit, Knight improved his numbers nearly across the board, setting career highs in true shooting percentage and PER while improving as a playmaker. Yet even with such improvement, Knight graded out as little more than an average combo guard – a nice piece to have when he’s making under $3 million, but not necessarily worth a big second contract.

At just 22 years old, there is hope Knight’s upward trajectory can continue. He is likely a better 3-point shooter than he showed last season (.325), and the exhausting toll of commanding the Bucks’ inept offense was clearly visible by season’s end. Stronger performances from his teammates can take some of the pressure off Knight, giving his own numbers a boost. And while Knight’s defensive metrics weren’t good last season, he has a positive reputation and the tools to be a disruptive defender.

But those developments remain to be seen, and if Knight’s ability to run an effective offense stagnates due to poor shooting at the rim or limited vision as a passer, it would be tough to justify a big new contract for a player who does little more than score. There’s a lot riding on this season for both parties.

5. The Giannis and Jabari Show. For most Bucks fans, everything else is secondary to these two. Giannis Antetokounmpo was a revelation last season, an athletic marvel bursting with potential. It didn’t matter one bit that his on-court performance was actually pretty lackluster (he turned the ball over on almost 20 percent of his possessions!), not when he was throwing down coast-to-coast dunks and tweeting about smoothies.

Now the Bucks get to add No. 2 overall pick Jabari Parker to the mix, giving the team a pair of young forwards with true star potential. It has given fans hope that Milwaukee might finally be able to establish a core of elite talent around which to build a championship-caliber team. The dynamic between Giannis, who remains very raw, and the more refined Parker will be fascinating to watch, not mention a heck of a lot of fun. Big steps from Giannis and a strong rookie season for Parker will give fans plenty to be excited about, the win/loss record be damned.

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Dan Sinclair is an editor at Brew Hoop, SB Nation’s blog covering the Milwaukee Bucks. Follow him on Twitter @dan_sinclair and follow @brewhoop for the latest Bucks news and analysis.