The Big Question: Can Milwaukee Replace an Identity, Not a…

By the Bucks Nightly Desk · Saturday, October 3

Milwaukee built two decades of relevance around one player, and that player now wears a Miami jersey. What replaces him - ball movement, four new faces and two holdovers - is the question hanging over this camp, long before a game that counts tips off.

Bucks Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

Last season

Playing most of the year around an injured Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee finished 32-50, the first missed playoffs since 2016-17. The offense ranked 24th, the defense 26th, and net rating sat at -6.1 on a 98.3 pace. Rivers resigned when the season ended; he has since joined NBC as an analyst and said he is finished coaching.

June 23

Milwaukee moved Antetokounmpo to Miami, Bobby Portis going with him, for Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel'el Ware and Jakucionis. In the draft that followed, the Bucks picked Nate Ament at thirteen and Burries at ten. Myles Turner and Kyle Kuzma stayed from the old roster, giving Jenkins a five-man core to build around.

This month

Camp has brought roster churn - Malique Lewis is out, Jake Stephens is in - and a heavier story: a September 23 report said the NBA is probing Milwaukee's trade for Gary Trent Jr., with no detail yet on scope or findings. Jenkins has run three straight high-intensity practices, every player participating, as he installs a ball-movement offense in place of the old downhill attack.

This week

Preseason opens October 5 at home against Minnesota, then the Bucks go to Oklahoma City and Charlotte before hosting Chicago on October 14. It is the first look at Herro, Turner and Kuzma sharing the floor with Jakucionis, Jaquez Jr. and Ware, four new faces getting their first live run together.

October 21

The answer will not come from preseason box scores but from October 21 at Washington, when results start counting. Milwaukee has not replaced Antetokounmpo's gravity with one player; it is betting four new ones, plus Turner and Kuzma, can produce that gravity together. Last season's 32-50 floor, set with a hobbled superstar, is the bar this group now has to clear without one.

Next The first evidence arrives October 5, when Minnesota visits for Milwaukee's preseason opener. The answers that count begin October 21 at Washington.

What did the Bucks get for Giannis Antetokounmpo?

Milwaukee received Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel'el Ware and Jakucionis, plus a run of draft-pick swaps, when it moved Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to Miami on June 23, 2026.

When do the Bucks play their first game this season?

Milwaukee opens the preseason October 5 at home against Minnesota, then plays at Oklahoma City, at Charlotte and home against Chicago before the regular-season opener October 21 at Washington.