The Milwaukee Bucks will be without Giannis Antetokounmpo, OJ Mayo and Jabari Parker for the season opener on Wednesday night against the New York Knicks. The team has Greg Monroe ready to make his debut and Jason Kidd said that the Bucks hope Parker can return to the team in November.
The Bucks are coming into the season as one of the savvy picks in the eastern conference and it comes after the team made the playoffs last season. The Bucks have a roster stacked with young talent and in the relatively weak east, this team could be a top 5 finisher in the standings. The Bucks will not be as high powered as they will be later in the season on Wednesday, as Giannis Antetokounmpo, OJ Mayo and Jabari Parker will not be in the lineup.
Antetokounmpo is an athletic freak and he has been getting a ton of attention as he develops, but he is serving a suspension and will miss the opener. Last season Antetokounmpo averaged 12 points and 6.7 rebounds to set career highs and the team sees him as a versatile option for Kidd. According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the team thinks that Antetokounmpo has the ability to play all five positions on the floor and he could get work around the lineup this season. Antetokounmpo has been working on his outside shooting and if he gets that down, he could be a major player this season.
Jabari Parker is making his way back from knee surgery last year and the Bucks are hoping to have him back next month. According to ESPN.com, Kidd said that the team expects Parker to be back sometime in early November. Kidd said that Parker "looks great. He's done everything" and that he could come back the "first couple weeks" of the month. Parker likely will play limited minutes when he comes back, as the team will want to be cautious after his injury last season.
Parker was the number two pick in the draft last year and he averaged 12 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game in his first 25 games of the season before getting injured. OJ Mayo will not be available for the Bucks on Wednesday, as he is dealing with a hamstring injury and will not play. Greg Monroe was the big free agent signing for the Bucks this offseason and he averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Pistons last season. Kidd said he was impressed with Monroe's play during the preseason.
