Three reasons to be glad the Bucks' season is over

There are some seasons that a fanbase doesn’t want to remember, and 2025-26 fits that description for those of the Milwaukee Bucks. It wasn’t that long ago that the team was a formidable threat, which makes their precipitous drop close to the basement even more dismaying.

A nine-game losing streak followed their fools-gold start, which set the mood for the rest of the year. And aside from injuries, they were plagued by internal discontent, creating a toxic environment. Let’s review the biggest reasons to be thankful it’s over.

3. Rivers is done as coach

Does anyone remember when coach Phil Jackson said during Game 4 of the Finals that Doc Rivers’ Celtics knew how to lose because they blew the most games in the fourth quarter out of all teams? It was always a concern that Rivers, who was the coach thrice losing a 3-1 lead, and had only been to the Finals twice with a collection of loaded squads, was hired after Adrian Griffin’s early dismissal.

Fear not any more of an opposing coach outsmarting Milwaukee’s. And players should no longer worry about being thrown under the bus publicly, either.

Rivers’ latest ride produced a 97-103 regular-season record and 3-8 in the playoffs. His time in Milwaukee also pushed him to 1,308 wins. Somehow he got on the list of 15 greatest coaches of all time, which is a massive distortion of NBA history, and is going into the Hall of Fame, but he’s in the same tier as Stan Van Gundy. Riddle me that.

2. Bring on the draft

Even with first-round draft history being hit or miss, the team has a chance to select an instant contributor, if they do their homework properly.

The Bucks have a lottery pick and need an injection of young, high-level talent on the team. Considering their lowly posittion in the East, they can't afford to blow this pick. This upcoming draft is projected to be deep and this will be the highest pick used since Thon Maker was selected 10th in 2016.

1. It’s time for a new era

The top brass said that he’ll be traded if he doesn’t extend, but it was obvious that Giannis Antetokounmpo went full politician publicly while not wanting to be in Milwaukee. He played a part in making the season a drag for fans because a team can never prosper when the star is one foot in and one foot out. The other worry is that his body isn’t holding up like it used to.

His time and production on the team, rivaled only by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, is greatly respected and will be missed by many, but there’s nothing left for him in Milwaukee. He’s in the second half of his career, and the team doesn’t and will not have the necessary pieces to put a contender around him. The way things are progressing, it appears unlikely that he will return, and next season is practically an expiring deal since he's got a player option in 2027-28.

Whatever the team gets back for him should help establishing the next era.