The GM of the Milwaukee Bucks - the No. 1 team in the NBA - explains why he believes they've built a legitimate contender
- The Milwaukee Bucks own the NBA's best record and the best point-differential more than halfway into the NBA season.
- Bucks GM Jon Horst explained to Business Insider at All-Star Weekend that the Bucks have done historical research that shows, by the numbers, the Bucks are even with previous championship contenders.
- Horst also said that while the Bucks may lack some of the flashy superstar talents of other teams, their roles players have sacrificed numbers for their system, and they are playing limited minutes because they're blowing teams out.
- Horst set expectations low, saying the Bucks want to win a first-round playoff series, but he believes they have what it takes to contend for a championship.
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As the NBA season winds into the home stretch, the Milwaukee Bucks are looking to finish off what's been an impressive season.
Through 57 games, the Bucks own the NBA's best record at 43-14. They have outscored opponents by 557 points, 152 points more than the next team, the Golden State Warriors. They own the NBA's best defense, the fourth-best offense, and best net rating.
They also have a superstar in Giannis Antetokounmpo, who might be the frontrunner for MVP, a first-time All-Star in Khris Middleton, and a Coach of the Year candidate in Mike Budenholzer.
To Bucks GM Jon Horst, a candidate for Executive of the Year, all of these things are indicators that the Bucks are legitimate contenders.
"In terms of regular season performance as an indicator for being a contender, which there's something to that, obviously, our overall win-loss record is a key factor, what your net margin is is a key factor, and ... your offensive rating and defensive rating, those are key metrics," Horst said. "And we've tested those throughout history, and they really are good indicators for success and contending."
In addition to their standing in those metrics, Horst noted that the Bucks have also beaten the best teams in the NBA. They have wins against the Golden State Warriors, Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, Houston Rockets, and Denver Nuggets this season.
"What that tells us, is that we are built for a team that can contend."
In an era of "super-teams" the Bucks' roster may not jump off the page, as much as, say, the Warriors, Thunder, or even the newly stacked 76ers. Middleton has produced an All-Star season and is a solid secondary scorer, playmaker, shooter, and defender. But the gap between Milwaukee's best player (Antetokounmpo) and its second-best player (Middleton) may be larger than some of the teams above.
However, Horst believes there is an optics issue with that. Perhaps the Bucks' role players aren't producing eye-popping stats, but that's the effect of winning.
"These guys have sacrificed for a style of play to win and to be really good," Horst said. "You know, Khris Middleton, on a per-36 [minutes] basis, is kinda playing like, not a superstar, but definitely like a pretty solid All-Star. He is an All-Star this year. The guy's playing 31 minutes per game. Well, he's playing 31 minutes a game because we're beating people by double-digits every night. And so if Khris were playing 35, 36 minutes per game, he might be averaging 24 points per game. If Eric Bledsoe was playing 35, 36 minutes, I think Eric could be averaging 20."
Regular season success doesn't always translate to the playoffs, and Horst said that the Bucks have a historical hill to climb.
The Bucks have 25 games remaining, including some against fellow opponents in the stacked, top-heavy Eastern Conference. Few people have a gauge on who the best team is in the East.
To Horst, the Bucks have all the pieces to be the team that makes it out.
"We're really good. I think we have really talented players that fit a system and fit our superstar, and I think that we have a real chance."
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