MILWAUKEE — Five Milwaukee Bucks appear in HoopsHype’s 2024-25 rankings of the top 30 NBA players at each position.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard are ranked in the top 10 at power forward and point guard, respectively. Read on for the Bucks details and links to HoopsHype’s lists.
2023-24 stats (73 games): 24.3 points, 7.0 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 1.0 steals per game. 42.4 field-goal percentage, 35.4 three-point percentage.
By his own standards, Damian Lillard was up and down in his first season with the Bucks, but his long record as one of the league’s best points guards puts him the top 10.
Traded to the Bucks in a blockbuster 3-team swap prior to the start of last year, Lillard looks to have a bounce-back season in his second year with Milwaukee after posting the third-worst VORP and BPM of his career. As the No. 2 option behind Antetokounmpo, Lillard should benefit from the defensive attention that Giannis attracts and settle into his role as the second option.
The top 10 point guards are:
2023-24 stats (55 games): 15.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.3 blocks per game. 49.3 field-goal percentage, 38.1 three-point percentage
As a player who looks to be in the backstretch of his career, Middleton has appeared in 88 of 164 regular-season games over the past two seasons.
Middleton, 33, did finish his 2023-24 season with a flourish, helping the Bucks remain competitive in their first-round playoff loss despite the absence of Antetokounmpo. Middleton averaged 24.7 points, 9.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists on 48.2 percent shooting over the six games.
But he needed offseason surgery on both ankles, and questions about his season-long health will persist.
The top 3 small forwards are Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics), Kevin Durant (Phoenis Suns), and LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers. The players immediately around Middleton are:
2023-24 stats (73 games): 30.4 points, 11.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.1 blocks per game. 61.1 field-goal percentage, 27.4 three-point percentage.
In 2023-24, Giannis became the first player in NBA history to average 30-plus points on 60 percent shooting from the field. On any given night, he is the best player in the world.
While he turns 30 in December, Giannis shows no signs of slowing down. While last season’s untimely injury doomed the Bucks’ playoff chances, Giannis has averaged 72 games played for his 11 seasons.
The top 10 power forwards are:
2023-24 stats (79 games): 12.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.5 steals, 2.4 blocks per game. 48.5 field-goal percentage, 36.6 three-point percentage.
At 36 years young, Lopez has continued to show that age is just a number. Last season the 7-foot-1, floor-spacing big man ranked third in the NBA in blocks per game (2.4) while making 36.6 percent of his three-pointers. He scored three fewer points per game, but he took two fewer shots and those points probably went to Lillard.
Lopez remains one of the best interior defenders, an important contribution for a Milwaukee squad that last season struggled with team defense, finishing 19th in the NBA in team defensive rating (115.8).
It will be interesting to see if Lopez, entering Year 17, can post his third consecutive season of 75-plus games and 30-plus minutes a night.
The top three centers are Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets). Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers), and Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers). The players immediately around Lopez are:
2023-24 stats (82 games): 13.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.4 blocks per game. 50.8 field-goal percentage, 40.7 three-point percentage.
Much like Lopez, Portis is one of the better floor-spacing centers in the NBA, making nearly 41 percent of his shots from downtown a season ago. He also is available, averaging 70-plus games and 25 minutes a night in his four Bucks seasons.
His high energy gets him nearly two offensive rebounds a game and his chirping battles with opposing players gives the Bucks an edge.
On the other hand, his defense is nonexistent. Portis doesn’t block shots nor does he move his feet well enough to defend positively on switches.
The centers immediately around Portis:
