Milwaukee opened preseason without Giannis Antetokounmpo for the first time in over a decade, built instead around Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware and a coach imported from Memphis. Whether that group can reach the playoffs in the East, or whether 2026-27 is simply a step back, is the question hanging over the franchise before a game that counts tips off.
Last season
Milwaukee went 32-50, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016-17. Antetokounmpo played only 36 games before Doc Rivers resigned. The offense ranked 24th in the league, the defense 26th, and the net rating of -6.1 sat 25th of 30. Even healthy, this group had not solved its problems; hurt, it collapsed.
April 30
Taylor Jenkins was hired as head coach, arriving from Memphis with a track record built on pace and movement the Bucks had not shown in years. He took the job before knowing who would fill his roster, since the trade that reshaped it was still two months away.
June 23
Milwaukee sent Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to Miami for Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel'el Ware and Kasparas Jakucionis, then drafted Brayden Burries at No. 10 and Nate Ament at No. 13. Herro scored 20.5 points a game for Miami last season, and Ware is 22. The return is younger and cheaper than what it replaced, not yet proven as a group.
This week
Preseason has shown both faces of this team: a 97-116 loss to Minnesota on Oct. 5, then a 128-126 win at Oklahoma City on Oct. 7. Ament is day-to-day with a left ankle issue, and Johni Broome has since signed. Milwaukee carries twenty-one players and an NBA inquiry into the Gary Trent Jr. trade, open since Sept. 23.
For now
The honest read sits between the two cases: healthier and cheaper than last season's team, but unproven as a unit and thin on future draft capital, with picks swapped away through 2030. Call it a bridge season, a play-in level group rather than a contender, and a clear step up from a 32-50 floor.
What did the Bucks get for Giannis Antetokounmpo?
Milwaukee received Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel'el Ware and Kasparas Jakucionis from Miami on June 23, with Bobby Portis going to Miami as part of the same deal.
Can the Bucks make the playoffs in 2026-27?
No regular-season games have been played yet; last season's team, which had Antetokounmpo for only 36 games, went 32-50 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016-17.
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