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The Milwaukee Bucks have been on a roll lately. With the 2021 NBA playoffs just two weeks away, Mike Budonholzer's side are seemingly peaking at the right time.
The Bucks recorded their fifth-straight win in their last game against the Houston Rockets. They beat the mighty Brooklyn Nets twice during that streak and have made their intentions of making a deep playoff run amply clear.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and the crew improved the team's season record to 43-24, level with the Nets, to go second in the Eastern Conference standings.
Milwaukee Bucks have the team capable of a deep run in the 2021 NBA Playoffs
The Milwaukee Bucks have assembled a solid group of players this season who have the potential to help them brush aside their disappointing 2019 and 2020 post-season campaigns and make a deep run this time around. Along with Giannis and Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez have emerged as the most reliable players on the team.
Holiday has reinforced the Milwaukee Bucks at both ends of the floor, averaging 17.1 points, 5.9 assists and 1.7 steals per contest. Meanwhile, Brook Lopez has been highly effective as well, contributing 11.4 points and 1.5 blocks per contest.
While the four players mentioned above have consistently been delivering goods for the Milwaukee Bucks, three other players have come into their own over the last month.
Let's find out who these players are and why we think they can bolster the Milwaukee Bucks' chances of making it to the NBA Finals this time around.
#3 Donte DiVincenzo
Despite all the criticism that Donte DiVincenzo has had to endure this season, he has given it his all for the championship aspirants, settling in well in a full-time starting role. His numbers speak volumes of the kind of year he has had, giving the Milwaukee Bucks the perfect role player who can do the little things that matter a lot but which often go unnoticed during the course of a game.
Averaging a career-best 10.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game, his contributions for the Bucks have been highly underrated. All of his teammates have a tremendous amount of confidence in him to do well, which has been key in him becoming such an important piece in their title ambitions.
After enduring a tough run in April, Divincenzo has made a solid comeback in May, averaging 15.6 points and 8.2 rebounds per game across four appearances, shooting 43.75% from the field. With the playoffs just two weeks away, the Milwaukee Bucks will be relying on him as much as they have been on the other four starters.
#2 Bryn Forbes
Bryn Forbes has emerged as a terrific scorer coming off the bench for the Milwaukee Bucks. He has consistently produced double-digit scores in the last few weeks, converting a minimum of 50% three-point attempts in his last ten games. He recently became the seventh player on the Bucks roster to average 10 points or more for the 2020-21 campaign.
His performances have given Budenholzer the chance to rest the team's primary scorers like Giannis and Middleton more often. The Bucks have had a lack of reliable players in their reserves in previous seasons, and Forbes' rise surely seems to have resolved that issue for them.
The shooting guard is scoring at a career-best 47.2% from the field, including 44.9% from beyond the arc (also career-best).
#1 Bobby Portis
The Milwaukee Bucks have finally found a reliable player to slot into Giannis' place in the starting lineup whenever the two-time reigning league MVP has had to be rested or missed out due to niggles. Like Bryn Forbes, Bobby Portis was added to the roster in the offseason as well, giving the Milwaukee Bucks a plethora of scoring options on the offensive end.
In the limited 20 minutes of playing time that he gets coming off the bench on an average, Portis is scoring 11 points per game, shooting a career-best 52.3% from the field and 47% from long-range. With the playoffs fast approaching, it gives the Milwaukee Bucks the cushion to rest Giannis more often in the remaining regular-season fixtures, thanks to Portis and his impact in the absence of the talisman.
Eventually, with Giannis fresh at the start of the playoffs, something that hasn't been the case in previous seasons, the Milwaukee Bucks' chances of making a deep run in the post-season will receive a massive boost.
Guess the Lakers players!
