Podcast Host (5:08)

See, I was gonna ask you which one is the most impactful change this season, but it does seem like the Damian Lillard domino effect seems to be the big one. Now, knowing the fact that Damian Lillard's gone, you do get a Miles Turner, you get Nicole Anthony out of Orlando. There's a lot of role players that are gonna have to step up. A lot of folks that were peripheral to Giannis Antokounmpo last year and are going to continue to be in this up. Who do you think is likely to make the biggest step forward as a result of opportunity opening up, basically? And then who's also likely to maybe take a step back as a result of some of these changes?

Eric Nain (5:49)

Yeah, I mean, I think it's. It's tough because I think if you were paying attention in those final 14 games, Kevin Porter Jr. Had already kind of taken on a larger role for the Bucks. And I think they're very excited about what he can do this year, playing a fuller role. I mean, if you remember, they were some really bad Houston Rockets teams, obviously, But Kevin Porter Jr. Was a guy that was scoring 20 points per game for the Houston Rockets once upon a time. Obviously, he had to go out of the league. He was out of the league entirely in Greece for a year after his domestic violence incident. And now he is back here in Milwaukee and honestly about to step into a really big role. So I would say Kevin Porter Jr. I think, has a really big opportunity and chance. And then I would circle the shooting guards. Gary Trent Jr. Was a guy that the Bucs were able to sign at a minimum last year, and he was very good for them. Shot, you know, almost six threes a game, PL 41 1/2% somewhere in there. He was good for them. But he has done more before. Like when he played for the Toronto Raptors, he scored even more than he did. He had even more opportunity in those spots. And now that you don't have a guy like Damian Lillard around, maybe he doesn't have to take as small of a role. He can add a little bit more scoring. And then A.J. green is the other shooting guard I would look at as well. The Bucks have been, you know, talking all offseason that the. The goal here this season is surrounding Giannis with as many shooters as possible, as much three point shooting as possible. Let's see what Giannis can do in the. You know, it depends who you talk to, whether it's the point guard, point forward, point center role, whatever it is. Point Giannis is what the Milwaukee Bucks are going to be looking at this year. And kind of those shooters, I think whoever starts, or maybe they both start in like a two shooting guard kind of setup. But those two gu. I think their dribble handoffs with Giannis, their interactions with Giannis, all of that is going to be really big this year. So I'm going to cheat and pick three guys, but Kevin Porter Jr. At point guard, stepping in that Damian Lillard role for sure. And then the two shooting guards, how the Bucs use them to try to juice up their three point offense because there isn't that second score like there was with Damian Lillard. It is not a two headed monster anymore. It is Giannis and the gang and what can he kind of get out of them? And those guys are the, to me, the guys that could benefit the most from it.

Podcast Host (8:14)

Now, I'm intrigued that you didn't mention Bobby Portis Jr. And I wanted to ask you where you think his role will fit. We saw him especially kind of taking on some of those roles in which the defense, whether it was an offensive spark they needed, it was Bobby Portis Jr. That was often providing that in the time that he could play. He only played 49 games last season, so that was part of the issue with him. But being able to say, you know, he's coming back ideally in full health, what kind of role could he play on this team for the Bucks?

Eric Nain (8:44)

Yeah, it's really interesting with this team, right, because if you, if you look at where the question marks are, I kind of circled them right at the guard spots. How are you going to fill in for Damian Lillard? But the, the opposite is kind of true as well. Like they know what they're going to get at power forward with Giannis at center with Miles Turner and then in backup big at Bobby Portis. And this has kind of always been what Bobby has done since he's gotten to Milwaukee. It has just been like, all right, well, Giannis and Brook are here, so I'll take all the rest of the minutes. The power forward minutes that Giannis isn't on the floor, I'll take those. The center minutes that Brook isn't on the floor, I'll take those and I will fill in those gaps. And I think it's kind of just become like this foundational piece of what the Milwaukee Bucks do. Like, Bobby is always going to be a guy that they can count on. He's a guy that you know, if you need some more bench scoring, all right, well, give him a ball on the block and let him go to work. And, you know, he can get to his fade away jumper. He can get to a little baby hook. Like, he can do some of that. Okay. If he needs to play with Giannis, well, stick him in the corner, put him in the pick and pop. He can hit a three. He can spread the floor for Giannis. Like, I think he's kind of allowed them over the years to just have a, a level of versatility and trust that you would have in a backup big that most teams can't count on where he hasn't started. He's been pushing for the six man of the year role for, I mean, years and years and years. At this point, he's never been able to win it. But I do think part of why he hasn't been able to win is because it's never like a standout, like, jump in production. It's just like, Bobby's this good every single year. Like, this is just what he does. You know, last year, I think it's 14 and 8, and obviously he shoots threes. He does kind of everything. And then obviously he's the mayor of Milwaukee. He's the fan favorite here. Everybody loves Bobby. The Bobby Chance go crazy in any big game that they have. Like, to me, it's, it's hard to, you know, always like, be like, oh, well, yeah, Bobby could do this or do that. Because you're just so used to Bobby being around and being a foundational piece of what the Bucks have done since he's gotten here in Milwaukee.

Podcast Host (10:47)

He has played such a great Energizer as well. On top of being a skilled player that plays well around Giannis Antetokounmpo, especially because you need that spacing if you're going to have the Giannis train going down the middle. Now, you talked about Giannis and the gang, which we need to trademark that. I really love that. That is, that is great to describe what's going on in Milwaukee, but let's talk about, you know, some of the, the two players that people are looking to, to say, okay, you got to step up. Cole Anthony taking on that point guard position, going to be playing way more minutes than he was in, in Orlando. And also, you know, probably going to have to have a lot of offensive production alongside Giannis. And then of course, Miles Turner, I want to take, I want you to take those three. Miles Turner, Cole Anthony, and of course, Giannis. Atintokounmpo what's going to be the expectations for these players? I feel like Giannis is going to still be superstar, but what does that mean now that he's got to shoulder a team that looks very different than anything that he's ever had coming into this season?

Eric Nain (11:45)

Yeah, I think I'm fascinated to see exactly how they try to put this all around Giannis. I think we've seen it before, you know, in, in 2021 when, when they win the championship. Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton are both spectacular players. Both those guys are all stars. But it was built around Giannis. The, the team was built around Giannis. When Mike Boonholzer came to town, it was all right. We're running a five out, Yanis, five out offense built around Giannis and kind of what he can do. And in those moments, yes, Khris Middleton did take some clutch shots and yes, Drew Holiday was expected to create, but a lot of it was based on Giannis. And now over the last couple of years, it's been Giannis and Dame. Okay, Dame can take some of that scoring load, some of that playmaking load. You know, he can be a guy that can do all of those elite offensive things that he did when he was with the Portland Trailblazers. Now that Dame's gone, it is really about Giannis. And I think what we've seen under Doc Rivers is, you know, he's more willing to use Giannis in the post, he's more willing to use Giannis at the elbow. We've seen him become. He's always been a very good playmaker. Obviously his assist numbers have always been very good, but the ways in which he's creating are a little bit different. Now the places that he's getting to create in are a little bit different. The ways in which he's getting into it, whether that's a back down, whether that's, you know, an elbow catch, where he's surveying the floor like he's doing a lot of different things here. And, and truly I, I do believe, like this is a spot where I think in previous years Nicola Jokic won an mvp dragging the Nuggets to a lower end playoff spot. Like that was, that was one of his three MVPs, was, hey, they don't really have a lot. It was one of the years Jamal Murray was injured and he kind of dragged them to a playoff spot and it was really all about Jokic and what he was able to do. And I do find myself wondering, like, could this be the reminder that everyone needs that, you know, we've spent the entire summer hearing everyone say Giannis doesn't have any help. You know, is he going to leave because the team isn't good enough and the roster isn't good enough? Well, if we get into the season and the Bucks are in the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference, I don't then want to hear about how good the roster is. Like, that's, that would not be the case because I heard all summer about how it's not good. So if the roster is not good enough there, people don't think it's good enough to keep Giannis or whatever it is. And then all of a sudden the bucks are the 4 seed in the East. I don't know. Like, that seems like Giannis dragging them to a playoff berth. And that feels like MVP material. And I'm really curious to see. I1 I think Giannis is up for that challenge. I think that's something that, that really is interesting to him. If he wins an MVP, he'd be the 10th guy in NBA history to win three MVPs, so joining very exclusive company. But I do think this whole season is kind of built around just how much you can squeeze out of Giannis De Kumbo. And to be clear, they've squeezed a lot out of him over the last couple years. I think 30 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists last season. Insane numbers. No one's done that. Oh, except Giannis the year before when he did it. So again, like, that's like the level of elite that you're talking about with him. And I think the, the other players you're thinking about, you know, Cole Anthony and what he can do, Miles Turner and what he can do. How do all of those pieces play a role here? And for Cole Anthony, it's like, okay, we've seen it again and again and again. If you are in a pick and roll with Gianna Stedakounbo, the whole team is going to cover the role. It is not just your man that is going to cover or bump Giannis or take him. Two guys on the back side are going to take him and they are going to let you score. The point guards again and again and again and again have played with Giannis and had the opportunity to score because the other team wants nothing to do with him rolling to the rim. So Cole Anthony, you know, what can you do off the balance? Can you get to a three point shot? Can you get to the mid range? Can you create something for the other guys on the floor? Can you create something for yourself? And then Miles Turner. I think one of the things that you saw last year with Indiana Pacers that made them unique is the breakneck speed in which they ran offense. Right? Like, it isn't just that they got up and down the floor, it's that in the half court, it is screen after screen after screen after screen. And the guy that was bouncing from screen to screen to screen was their big man, their center, Miles Turner, opening up people. And so this year, when he gets a screen for Giannis, what can he do for those guys? I mentioned the shooters at, at. At the shooting guard position. Okay, can you set up something on the weak side to bring AJ Green off the screen? Gary Trent Jr. Can you get a second side action? And I think all of that helps out a lot. And then that's not even mentioned the defensive side where we've seen Miles Turner lead the league in blocks twice in his career. I think there's another opportunity this year where, you know, in the past it's been Brook Lopez getting to be that guy. And he is, I mean, one of the elite drop centers in the NBA as far as rim protection goes. And that's what Miles Turner is going to get the chance to be. And when you get to play with Giannis, everyone is scared of Giannis blocking their shot. Like, they're like, okay, let me get away from him. He's near the right side of the floor. Let me go to the left side. And that means the center gets that opportunity that it's been Brook Lopez who's been the one that gets challenged at the rim, as opposed to Giannis. And I think we're going to see Miles Turner get those same opportunities this year where it's him and Giannis on the back line. And what is he going to do in those situations? I think he's going to get a chance to block more shots than he has in a couple of years. I think he's get a chance to protect the rim in ways that he hasn't in a couple of years. Like, the Bucks are really going to ask a lot out of him. And it's not just that the Bucks are going to ask a lot out of him. It's going to be teams afraid of Giannis and staying away from Giannis. That will send more people to Miles Turner. And that means he's going to get tested on a nightly basis. And that means he's going to get a chance to show what he can do on a nightly basis. Basis.

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Eric Nain (19:07)

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Podcast Host (19:52)

I think Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of those people that everyone is keeping an eye on, right, because of this. Could he stay? Could he go with Tenassis, his brother signing with the team, you feel like, okay, he's in the right place. You think the team signing Myles Turner, they're showing goodwill to say, hey, we're getting you the pieces you're going to need and that you're going to thrive with. Like, you know, let's capitalize on this together. Where do you think going into this season his mindset is? I mean, you talk about, he wants to, he wants to be elite, he wants to win. Most importantly, um, you know, when it comes to all the conversations around MVP and all these personal accolades, sure, but he really wants to win. Knowing that this had been something that has been circling over the Bucs organization over Giannis's head all season, last year, all summer, where do you think his head is going into this season? Um, and how will that translate out on the floor?

Eric Nain (20:45)

Yeah, I mean, I think Giannis has kind of always just been a guy that's focused on two things, right? It's basketball and it's his family. So obviously having his family around is always good for him and that's something that'll make him happy. But then I think the basketball stuff, it's pretty, to me, it's pretty simple. Like, when he's out on the floor, that's all that he cares about. Like, I've always, I mean, we're going on a decade of me covering him. Like, from very early on, I called him a Kobe level lunatic. And what I mean by that is like, Kobe is always obsessed with the game, always obsessed with trying to figure out how to get better, always obsessed with trying to win. Like, that has been Giannis's obsession since very early in his career. And I just think once they, everyone gets here to Milwaukee, you know, there's always going to be players starting to come in here at the start of September, you know, Giannis will get in here once Euro basket's done, right? Right now he's over there competing with Greece, enjoying trying to win in Eurobasket with a team that maybe is not as stacked as some of those other teams. He's getting a little bit of experience of what this season might look like right now.

Podcast Host (21:53)

Practice, right?

Eric Nain (21:54)

A little practice. But that to me is like, once you get him on the floor, it's always going to be that, that high level focus. So to me, I think this season will present like an interesting challenge to him. I don't think it's wrong to say that this team is not as talented as other versions. But also I think it's obvious, like, you know, no one's expecting this year's Boston Celtics to be as talented as last year's Boston Celtics because one of their best players tore their Achilles. No one's expecting this year's Indiana Pacers to be as good as last year's Indiana Pacers because one of their best players tore their Achilles. So I don't think it would be fair to be like, well, the Bucks should be even better this year. Well, that's just not how it's going to work. Like, if one of your best players tears their Achilles, it's not going to, you know, it's not going to go better this year. But I do think the Bucs made a real commitment in trying to get Miles Turner to show that, like, hey, it might not be this year, but, like, we're going to try to set this up for the future. And I think one of the things that was very intentional about this off season is that if you look at all the players that, that we've discussed throughout this, these guys for the most part, outside of Bobby Portis, I mean, Bobby Portis is still younger than Giannis, but it's not by much. Everyone else is like three to four years younger than Giannis. Like they are right in one off season, they have kind of built like the young core and maybe it that young core doesn't have the next superstar that's going to play with Giannis. And I think if you talk to the Bucks, they're going to say, all right, well, you know, we'll have Kyle Kuzma's $20 million of expiring contract and we'll have three first round picks next off season. And that will be when we can strike and go get our next superstar. But for now, they've built again. They are complimentary players like you've talked about. They're more role player type players as we've kind of discussed throughout all this. But like, all those guys are younger than Giannis. And if you're, you're trying to figure out what the next version of the Milwaukee Bucks looks like, maybe it's not this season, but I do think you're starting to see it this season is seeing what those guys can all do and then going out and getting that next piece. So I think one, it's an interesting challenge for Giannis and I think two, it's also assigned to him that like, hey, we have, have done all that we can. I know when I talked to John Horst at summer league and did our annual one on one conversation, he was like, I don't think there's anything more in my, like, in my body that I could have done. I did everything humanly possible to do it this year and like to put the best, best product on the floor. And yeah, like, it's hard or whatever, but like we, we have done everything. And I think that's, it's tough to argue with a torn Achilles for one of your best players is, is something that no one can prepare for. And even fewer teams can immediately flip the switch and put your team in kind of the same spot as they were last year.

Podcast Host (24:54)

Horse is like, you squeezed everything out of me. I've got nothing else left to give. No, that's fair. I completely can, I can imagine that, especially with the, the cars that they've been dealt. Okay, in one word, if you could take whether it's a player, it's a factor, it's something what's the biggest swing factor year for the Bucks this season?

Eric Nain (25:17)

I'm going to use an abbreviation, KPJ. I think Kevin Porter Jr. That's going to count as a word. I know it's three letters, but it works. It works okay. I do think he is going to play a major role with the Bucks this season. And I think when you look at, you know, a 6, 4 point guard or point guard adjacent player, whatever you want to call Kevin, he plays point.

Podcast Host (25:42)

He plays small forward, he plays shooting.

Eric Nain (25:44)

Like he plays all of those things. And with Giannis kind of playing point guard, I think it works. But you know, 6 foot 4, 69 wingspan, you know, he played for the Clippers last year, played for the Bucks. I think he's gotten better as a defender if he can get to a spot where all of a sudden it is, you know, 16 points per game, five rebounds per game, five assists per game. Like if you're talking about how Giannis can one win MVP and do all the things that he needs to do, like, I think everyone knows that's what he's going to do. That's what I mean. He's the only player in the league that's been top four in MVP voting for the last seven years. That's the standard. That's what he does. He is Giannis, he is the guy. But he's going to need some help. And if you're looking at guys that can swing it, I do think even though he's not the most highly paid like Kyle Kuzma, like it would be great if Kyle Kuzma could do that, but it might, might just not be a great role for Kuz next to, to Yanis.

Podcast Host (26:38)

That's what I thought you were going to say.

Eric Nain (26:40)

Was they, they similar, they play similar size, like they're similar size players, they play similar positions. I don't think the fit is awesome unless Kuzma gets back to shooting somewhere near 40% from the three point line. I think that was a real struggle last year that that three point percentage has come down. To me, it's kpj. Like can you, in the two man game with Giannis, can you rediscover that potential that everyone thought you had at, you know, 21, 22 now at 25 years old, can you, can you be that guy still? Because I mean, as far as ages go in the NBA, like 25 is still a young player and a guy that could still have space to grow. So to me, I think if this season is going to swing one way or Another, outside of Giannis doing superhuman things, which somehow has become a given. And I think everyone takes for granted at this point. Like, if there's something else, to me, it's. It's Kevin Porter Jr. Rediscovering, you know, maybe that. That potential that he had when he was a 20 point per game scorer with the Houston Rockets.

Podcast Host (27:45)

That's what he's predicted or projected to have per game is about 20 points for the Bucks. And I do. I don't know if this is the person to attribute this to, but, like, shout out Jeff Van Gunny, Ty Lue and the Defensive Clipper. The Clipper defensive mindset, because it did have an impact on the way that KPJ played in Help and the way that he got his hands on deflections. I mean, he was so much more active, I thought by the time he got to the Bucs. Last question, closing it out. Most realistic outcome for this team this season. Give me a number or thought.

Eric Nain (28:16)

I mean, so it was interesting. We did our annual fan survey at the Athletic, and one of the questions that I ask every year is, you know, like, what do you think their seed's going to be? Or something like that. And that's interesting. But this year we added, do you think the Bucks will make the playoffs? And 99% of Bucks fans believe that they will make the playoffs. 99 is a crazy percentage. And I say that because, you know, like, no, I understand. Like, you're always going to be positive, but there's also, like, the pessimistic fans as well. Like, there's always going to be, like, the flip side of it, like, oh, maybe something could go wrong. And because of the, The. The heavy burden that Giannis is going to carry, like, if Yanis gets hurt all of a sudden, you know, those 10 games, those 15 games that he's out, like, those are gonna be really rough. You don't have the best player on the planet or one of the best players on the planet, if you want to argue that. So I do think they're gonna make the playoffs. I think it'll be in the bottom half of the eight. So let's say five, six, somewhere in there. Okay. But I do think Giannis is going to stay healthy, and I, I don't know if it's the most likely that he's going to win mvp, but I do think he's going to be in top two for MVP voting this year. I just think there's so much opportunity for him this year and he's going to get a chance to kind of remind everyone just how good that he is. That kind of dragging this Bucks team will get him back in that conversation, as I mean, he's always in the conversation, but it hasn't been as serious the last couple years where he's been in third or fourth place. I do think think there's going to be a lot of conversation about like, wow, it's amazing that this Bucs team is doing the things that they're doing that they are playing as well as they are with this guy kind of leading the way.

Podcast Host (30:05)

I'm gonna call him Backpack Giannis for carrying the team on his back all season. He's got a lot of motivation, so we'll see how that all plays out. Eric Naim, as always, killing it, covering the Bucks for us, covering the NBA. Go read about the Athletics starting the season. And Eric, I hope you enjoy the rest of the very little time you have before this crazy season starts. Thanks for joining us.

Eric Nain (30:26)

I appreciate it. Thank you.

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Eric Nain (32:21)

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