Where do Bucks, Giannis, Damian Lillard rate in NBA GMs' annual preseason rankings?

Where do Bucks, Giannis, Damian Lillard rate in NBA GMs’ annual preseason rankings?

Posted by author October 9, 2024 NBA

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NBA.com writer John Schuhmann conducted the site’s annual survey of NBA general managers with a slew of questions, trying to get a sense of what the league thinks about the top teams, players and more.

Here were some takeaways as the survey relates to the Milwaukee Bucks:

The Milwaukee Bucks are picked to finish fifth in the Eastern Conference

The Bucks have gone from a powerhouse in the East to a team that won’t necessarily be seen as a lock to win a first-round playoff series.

Though the Bucks did get 13% of the votes for third place and 31% for fourth, their point total ultimately landed them fifth, just south of Cleveland but well behind the top three of Boston, New York and Philadelphia.

Boston received 97% of the first-place votes. Last year, the Bucks finished second in this poll.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is given high marks, but isn’t viewed as an MVP contender

Giannis Antetokounmpo received votes for the likely MVP candidate, but the bulk of the votes went to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Oklahoma City and Luka Dončić of Dallas. After that, votes went to Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Boston’s Jayson Tatum.

Antetokounmpo was regarded as the league’s best power forward, with 77% of the vote, though that’s a decline from the 97% he received last year. He was considered second among the “most athletic” players in the league, with 17% of the vote, well behind Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards (45%).

He tied for fourth among players who force opposing coaches to make the most adjustments. He tied for fifth on the list of best overall defensive players but was regarded as the most versatile defender in the NBA, with 17% of the vote.

He was also regarded as the most versatile player overall in the league, with 30% of the vote. The Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James took second with 20%.

Damian Lillard goes mostly unmentioned

Damian Lillard tied for fourth with 7% of the vote when GMs were asked which player they’d want taking a shot with the game on the line, but that’s the only time Lillard’s name pops up. He wasn’t mentioned among the league’s best point guards.

Stephen Curry still leads the way in the clutch-shot department, with 40% of the vote, followed by Kevin Durant, Luka Dončić and then Nikola Jokić and Lillard.

Odds and ends

Gary Trent Jr. was given some acknowledgment as the most underrated player acquisition of the offseason, but he wasn’t in the top six.
Doc Rivers tied for third as the best manager/motivator of people among head coaches, but he’s not otherwise mentioned among the best head coaches, including questions that asked which coaches run the best offense and defense.
Mike Budenholzer, now with the Phoenix Suns and formerly with the Bucks before he was fired after the 2022 season, was given top billing among new or relocated coaches expected to make the biggest impact, with 40% of the vote. Former Bucks assistant Charles Lee, now with Charlotte, ranked fourth on that list.
Former Bucks player Sam Cassell, an assistant with Boston, tied for first as the best assistant coach in the NBA.
The Bucks weren’t mentioned in categories assessing which team is the most fun to watch, which team has the most efficient offense, which team has the best home-court advantage or which team had the best overall offseason.