Milwaukee Bucks are going to look different next year. We expected some change year-over-year. At first, we thought Milwaukee would make a huge splash by getting Jrue Holiday and Bogdan Bogdanovic then fill out the roster with guys willing to pay for the vet minimum. That didn’t happen. Bogdanovic deal went to absolute shit, and Milwaukee had to move on. What they did was put together a nice roster of talent around Giannis Antetokounmpo, Holiday, and Khris Middleton. On paper, this roster looks better than last year. Let’s rank these moves by Jon Horst.

1. DJ Augustin – Milwaukee gives DJ Augustin a three-year deal worth 21 million dollars. There is a team-option in the last year which makes this a two-year deal. They gave him Ersan Ilyasova’s contract. Augustin is a better player than him. He will be replacing George Hill. Augustin is a solid three-point shooter who will likely thrive on getting to play with Antetokounmpo. He is a bit undersized but does his best to make up for it. He’s a dog and not afraid of a big moment. He is definitely a player that most Bucks fans wanted. GRADE: A-

2. Bryn Forbes – To me, this could be the guy for Milwaukee. Forbes and Torrey Craig feel like a combination of Wes Matthews’ skills. Forbes is the shooting component. He shot over 38 percent last year from three and 42 percent the year before that. My fascination with him is he played on a San Antonio team that did not want him to shoot as much as what the Bucks will preach to him. That could really open up Forbes’ game. Also, the San Antonio experience will make it very easy to fit into Bud’s system. Forbes could very well be a starter for Milwaukee so he may not fit the bench mob role.

3. Torrey Craig – After Denver pulled his contract for having too many guys, Milwaukee swept in and got the wing from the Nuggets. Craig is a big dude at 6’7 and a strong defender out on the perimeter. He can be used as a two all the way to a four. Wes Matthews is a much better shooter than Craig, but he is more athletic. Maybe Milwaukee’s offensive gurus can unlock something in him because he isn’t known for his offense in his career thus far.

4. Bobby Portis – Despite where I rank him, I actually kind of dig the Bobby Portis deal. He is a tough guy that doesn’t take shit from anyone. He has never played on a good team before meaning that could unlock some things for him. This will be a decrease in minutes for him, but Portis should be a solid Robin Lopez replacement. Don’t sleep on his three-point shooting or his ability to rebound.

5. Pat Connaughton – Can we ignore this one, please? Look, Pat Connaughton is a great guy. Everyone loves him. He has a future in Milwaukee media, probably. But that doesn’t count for basketball. He also aligned himself with Giannis so that helps too. Connaughton is an okay rotation player that shouldn’t get three years 16 million from anyone. That feels excessive. And if you see how Milwaukee completely bungled this contract, it will boil your blood.

All in all, Milwaukee improved their roster. They got younger but not so young that they lack experience like two years ago. It’s almost like Milwaukee met in the middle of the last two years. Too old last season. Too young in 2018-2019. Hopefully, by now, they’re perfect.

Charlie.