Roberto Ruiz
I hate predictions that are anything but bold, yet are still labeled as such. It is not bold to predict that the Bucks will suffer a fifth consecutive losing season. Similarly, it is not bold to predict that Jabari Parker will lead the Bucks in scoring. I am sorry, it’s just not.
Keeping that in mind, I will allow you this breath of fresh air because here are some truly bold predictions in regards to the upcoming Bucks season.
Jabari Parker: 23.5 points per game.
It is easy to look at 23.5 points per game and think that it is easily attainable. Keep in mind, though, that Brandon Knight led the Bucks with 17.9 ppg last year. I should also mention that the last rookie to attain that high of a scoring average was Allen Iverson in the 1996-1997 season.
Parker came into this league known for his scoring prowess and he finds himself on a team lacking a proven scorer. I foresee the starting lineup featuring three players (Kendall Marshall, John Henson, and Larry Sanders) who have no interest in putting the ball in the basket with any kind of regularity, and this should play right into Parker’s hands.
The one thing that might hurt Parker is that he may be taken off the court at the end of close games. His defensive limitations are well documented and he was consistently taken off the court in such situations while at Duke. The competition does not get any easier at this level, so he will need to step up his defense in a big way if he wants to be a factor at the end of games.
The bottom line is that Parker will be starting by the second month of the season, if not right away. Parker has the skills to be an elite scorer in this league, and he will be given every opportunity to shine on this roster. Will he be given plenty of scoring chances? Yes. Will he score on a high percentage of those chances? Maybe. Will he need to? Probably not.
Bucks Season Record: 20-62
Let me explain before jumping to conclusions. I like this team. I do. I love the future potential of this roster. But I hate the potential of this roster translating to victories on the court this season. 20 wins would likely leave the Bucks with one of the three worst records in the league, and that is where this team, presently constructed, belongs.
Jason Kidd could be a great coach, we just don’t know yet. He is still learning on the job and I do not expect him to put it all together as quickly as he would need to. While I hated the way the organization went about trading for Kidd, his upside as a coach is significantly higher than that of Larry Drew.
They could reach 20 wins by the new year if all of their young players make huge leaps coming into this year. Every year it seems there is one team that overachieves and makes a dangerous playoff run. Remember the Indiana Pacers in the 2010-2011 season? That is the ceiling of this years Bucks team.
In reality, this team could have eight players under the age of 24 on their roster. This does not lead to victories in the present, this leads to victories in the future. That being said, this team will be quite exciting to watch, regardless of their record.
OJ Mayo: Not a Buck
Mayo will start more games for another team this year than for the Bucks. On the surface this may seem like a no-brainer, but which team really wants to trade for an overweight shooting guard making 8 million? If he were Russian at least we could have sold him to Mikhail Prohkorov, the owner of the Brooklyn Nets. All jokes aside, Mayo was quickly riding the pine for coach Drew last season, and Kidd will be even quicker to slap the dreaded “DNP-Coach’s Decision” label on him. Additionally, Mayo will not only delay the growth of players like Parker and Knight, but also put a cramp in the transition game (where running is required).
