Your 2021 Milwaukee Bucks, the NBA Champs

(Long time, no see, everybody! Sorry about the drought of articles. I was just enjoying the Finals. I’ll be back to my usual article schedule now.)

The Bucks did it.

For the first time in 50 years, the Milwaukee Bucks are NBA champions!

I’m pumped. This is awesome. 

I truly love this Bucks roster. I think it’s my favorite team ever (not just because they won the championship). 

Part of it is because they were kind of underdogs this year. Nobody was really talking about them, and when they did, it was almost all negative. It’s always fun to root for the underdog. Added fun came with the underdog being my favorite team. They proved a lot of people wrong. (Shoutout to the city of Milwaukee for proving all the people that called it a bad city wrong.)

So, in honor of the championship, I’m going to highlight every player on the roster. I’m gonna talk about how good they are (of course), but also why I love them so much. There’s not a single player on this roster that I dislike. Let’s get going.

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Giannis is the hardest working, most loyal, and best player in the National Basketball Association. Everybody knows his story now, so I won’t retell it here, but that doesn’t make it any less impressive. Giannis’s growth throughout his career is ridiculous, and so was his play in the playoffs. All-time great performance from him, especially in the Finals. It’s wild to say that at this rate, Giannis could very well approach top ten all-time level by the time he retires. As of now, he’s definitely top 50 all time, and the greatest Buck ever. His loyalty to the franchise is awesome. I admire his character so much. He’s a great leader and teammate. He’s super humble. He’s super hard working. His goal was to bring a championship to Milwaukee, and he did it. He deserved this ring more than any other NBA player. There is so much more I could say about Giannis, but I won’t. Thank you Giannis.

Khris Middleton

All throughout the season and playoffs, people were saying Khris could not be the second option on a championship team. Those people were wrong. He had an elite playoffs. He was the closer in every close game, and delivered every time. He’s a top ten clutch player in the league. At this point (the following take was made passionately, and also off the top of my head. Don’t get mad), if you don’t have Khris in your top 30 players right now, you’re a casual. Khris is just so good. His game is so smooth. I love watching him play. Thank you Kash Money Middleton.

Jrue Holiday

Jrue quickly became one of my favorite Bucks when he was traded here. It’s a lot of fun watching him dominate on defense like he does. It only makes sense that the biggest play of the playoffs this year was made off of a Jrue steal. Jrue isn’t only a defender though. Even when he was struggling on offense (which was a decent amount of the time in the playoffs), he still picked up close to 10 assists every game. He’s a very unselfish player. I’m glad he’s a part of the Bucks big three for the long haul. Thank you Jrue.

Brook Lopez

Brook Lopez was rock solid throughout the playoffs. He stepped up when he was needed. He was the leading scorer in the closeout game of the conference finals, where he had a vintage Brook game. Not only is he a three level scorer, he’s also a rim protector. He does a great job of affecting shots in the paint. My favorite part of watching Brook is his facial expressions. He’s super entertaining. Thank you Brook.

Bobby Portis Jr. 

BOBBY! BOBBY! BOBBY!

For a guy who’s a fan of underdog/bench guys, the love Bobby has received is awesome to me. Being in the arena for game three and hearing all the Bobby chants was so much fun. I’ve loved the way he’s played all year. His energy is electric. Not only does he bring that energy on the court, he brings it to the city of Milwaukee. He loves it here, and I love that. I hope he finishes his career with the Bucks. Thank you Bobby!

(In my speed and strength class, a warmup we do everyday is primetimes. My friends and I have renamed them Bobbys because of this.)

Donte DiVincenzo

This season, Donte showed me that he’s one of the most underrated young players in the league. I hated to see him get injured. He is super important to this team on both ends. I hope the Bucks don’t try to trade him again. Bogdan Bogdanovic is good, but he’s not the long term answer. It was a sign that the trade was shut down. I’m excited to see Donte’s growth in the next few years. Thank you Donte. 

P.J. Tucker

I don’t care what the Bulls did, or what the Heat did, or what the Blazers did. The Bucks are officially the winner of the trade deadline. P.J. Tucker was very important in the playoffs, especially against the Nets. Of course, it’s impossible to stop Kevin Durant, but P.J. was able to slow him down in a lot of cases. KD shot 50% from the field and 35% from three in that series. That doesn’t meet KD’s usual play, and P.J. is the reason why KD didn’t shoot like he usually does. Not only is P.J. a tough defender, he also is one of the best hustle guys in the league. He grabs big rebounds, and goes after every loose ball. He always plays his heart out. I’m glad he got a championship before he retires in a few years. Thank you P.J.

Pat Connaughton

Pat Connaughton is my mom’s favorite player. However, it wasn’t just her that enjoyed his awesome Finals performance (scratch the closeout game). I loved every second of it. He hit big threes, grabbed crazy rebounds, and played solid defense on Booker. I saw plenty of people on social media say Pat sucked during the regular season. He proved all of them wrong. Pat was one of the most important role players for the Bucks during the championship run. Thank you Pat. 

Bryn Forbes

Bryn was the X-factor against the Heat. He scored more points than Jimmy Butler in that series. He wasn’t as effective in the rest of the playoffs, but he didn’t really get the minutes. Everytime Bryn shoots, I think it’s going in. He’s a pure shooter, and that’s what he provided the Bucks this year. Thank you Bryn.

Thanasis Antetokounpo

Thanasis is one of the best energy guys in the whole NBA. He never sits down when he’s on the bench. When he’s on the court, he goes after every loose ball and dogs on defense. He also can get you a highlight dunk. I know the Bucks missed him during the last few Finals games, cause I did. Watching him cry on Giannis’s Instagram live after game 6 made me love him even more. Thanasis best be on the Bucks for the rest of his career. Thank you Thanasis.

Jeff Teague

All the Jeff Teague hate I saw during the playoffs was unnecessary. For a dude who didn’t play much, he came out and did his job. He didn’t take many shots, but he made some threes. He grabbed some steals. He didn’t turn the ball over. He was a good veteran piece for the Bucks to have. Thank you Jeff.

Jordan Nwora

Jordan was one of the most underrated rookies this season. For a second round pick, he overperformed. He can shoot the ball off the catch and off the dribble. I’m looking forward to next season for Jordan because I think he’s gonna be a consistent rotation piece for the Bucks. I was hoping the Bucks would get Desmond Bane last year, but I’m glad Jordan is around because he does the same thing. Thank you Jordan.

Sam Merrill

Sam Merrill also overperformed this year. He was the last pick in the draft, but he was pretty solid this year. Just like Jordan, Sam can also shoot the ball. I am a big fan of the Bucks 2020 draft class. Thank you Sam.

Mamadi Diakite

I also like Mamadi a lot. He looked really good in the G-League bubble this year. Even though he hasn’t done too much on the court for the Bucks, Jon Horst must like the way he works off the court because Mamadi signed a multi-year deal. I think he can become a solid bench piece in the NBA one day. I’m excited to see the jump he can take next year. Thank you Mamadi.

Axel Toupane

Shoutout Axel Toupane. Every time I comment on his Instagram posts, he likes it and responds with an emoji or too. He has great social media game. Even though he didn’t play much for the Bucks, he’s one of my favorites now just because of that. Thank you Axel!

Elijah Byrant

Elijah Bryant was 4th in per game scoring for the Bucks this year (I don’t care that it was only one game). I am intrigued to see what he can do next season (I’m pretty sure he’s under contract). He was placed into the lineup for defensive purposes a few times in the playoffs, which is cool. He could be a situational ball handler/defender next year too. Thank you Elijah. 

Justin Jackson

I don’t have too much to say about Justin besides he’s a solid player. He could be getting more minutes elsewhere (like he was with the Thunder earlier this year), but he chose to come to Milwaukee. Thank you Justin. 

So, there’s a little paragraph about each player on my favorite team ever. Every single one of these guys added to the team, and has a special place in my heart (I don’t know if that’s the right way to say it, but basically I really like all these guys). Thanks to every single one of these guys for bringing a championship to Milwaukee (and Wisconsin). 

Bucks in 6!