After the Milwaukee Bucks fell to the Boston Celtics in seven games last year, it was clear that changes, and retention, needed to take place in order to remain in title contention. One of the biggest areas of concern heading into the off-season was a lack of lineup versatility. Part of the reason for this was injuries, such as multi-time All-Star Khris Middleton, who missed the Celtics series with a knee injury. Without him, the Bucks’ depth and ability to throw out different lineups was severely limited, contributing to the loss.
If there is anything to take away from the past few years’ champions, including the Bucks, is that winning teams have to be able to run out different looks and schemes depending on the situation. The bubble Lakers were able to play big lineups that overwhelmed teams in the paint, as well as downsize to a more perimeter oriented lineup with Anthony Davis at the 5. This year, the Warriors not only had different lineups at their disposal, but rather they also had guys who could play multiple different roles and positions within those lineups.
Also Read | Brooklyn Nets NBA 2022-23 Roster
Every team vying for a championship needs a go-to lineup late in games that can hold up on both ends of the floor. On the way to a championship in the 2021, the Bucks leaned heavily on a lineup with Jrue-Pat-Khris-PJ Tucker-Giannis that proved to be incredibly effective, yielding a plus 18 net rating throughout the playoffs. Although this was not the only closing lineup Bud utilized (see Bobby Portis closing out game 6 of the finals), it was still absolutely crucial to winning a title.
No. | Player | Pos | Ht | Wt | Birth Date |
| Exp | College |
Joe Ingles | SF | 6-8 | 220 | October 2, 1987 | au | 8 | ||
Marques Bolden | C | 6-10 | 249 | April 17, 1998 | us | 2 | Duke | |
Serge Ibaka | PF | 6-10 | 235 | September 18, 1989 | cg | 13 | ||
Lindell Wigginton | PG | 6-2 | 189 | March 28, 1998 | ca | 1 | Iowa State | |
Luca Vildoza | PG | 6-3 | 190 | August 11, 1995 | ar | 1 | ||
MarJon Beauchamp | NA | 6-6 | 199 | October 12, 2000 | us | R | Yakima Valley Community College | |
Wesley Matthews | SG | 6-4 | 220 | October 14, 1986 | us | 13 | Marquette | |
Bobby Portis | PF | 6-10 | 250 | February 10, 1995 | us | 7 | Arkansas | |
Jevon Carter | PG | 6-1 | 200 | September 14, 1995 | us | 4 | West Virginia | |
Brook Lopez | C | 7-0 | 282 | April 1, 1988 | us | 14 | Stanford | |
AJ Green (TW) | NA | 6-4 | 200 | September 27, 1999 | us | R | University of Northern Iowa | |
Grayson Allen | SG | 6-4 | 198 | October 8, 1995 | us | 4 | Duke | |
Thanasis Antetokounmpo | SF | 6-6 | 219 | July 18, 1992 | gr | 4 | ||
George Hill | PG | 6-4 | 188 | May 4, 1986 | us | 14 | IUPUI | |
Jrue Holiday | PG | 6-3 | 205 | June 12, 1990 | us | 13 | UCLA | |
Giannis Antetokounmpo | PF | 6-11 | 242 | December 6, 1994 | gr | 9 | ||
Pat Connaughton | SG | 6-5 | 209 | January 6, 1993 | us | 7 | Notre Dame | |
Khris Middleton | SF |
The Bucks rightfully identified a massive hole on the wing when they drafted Marjon Beauchamp with the 24th overall pick in the 2022 draft. In such a wing heavy league, you can never have enough guys with size and athleticism come playoff time. Although Marjon will absolutely be a work in progress, it sounds like he will get plenty of opportunities to carve out a rotation spot.
One lineup I am very excited to see is the same lineup as the previous slide but swapping in Marjon for Wesley Matthews. This is probably not one you want to see too often in big games, at least until we know more about his NBA capability, but Marjon has been vocal about stylizing his game around being a support player whose value comes from his ability to fit in with elite players. At this early stage in his career, it could be a waste of his abilities and potential to try him in bench only lineups, as that defeats the purpose of drafting someone like him.
