Top Storylines For Bucks Ahead of Playoff Matchup vs Pacers

The Milwaukee Bucks enter this year’s NBA playoffs as the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. They will face off against last year’s opponent the Indiana Pacers.

With the first game of the series taking place this Saturday, April 19, there are multiple storylines heading into the series as of now.

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The first big one is the health of Damian Lillard. It has already been declared he will miss the start of the playoffs, but it is unclear as of now just how long until he actually returns. That could mean he misses a few games, and that could mean he misses this whole series and beyond if the Bucks make it that far.

Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard (blood clot) will miss the start of the NBA playoffs, sources tell ESPN. Bucks play Game 1 of the first round against the Pacers on Saturday. Lillard has been sidelined since March 18, and doctors continue to monitor progress for clearance. pic.twitter.com/W8CqbSt3G1
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 15, 2025

Given he is the second scoring option on the roster, it will be interesting to see who steps up. The Bucks essentially swapped Khris Middleton for Kyle Kuzma, so Kuzma is a potential candidate to fill the secondary scorer role.

Lillard has also been known as a great scorer in the clutch, so the Bucks may need someone to fill that void as well. Giannis Antetokounmpo has had his clutch moments, but he often conceded to Middleton, a more perimeter-oriented player, to hit clutch shots, especially when the team needed a three.

One bright spot of Lillard being out is the defense should be better, something that could turn out helpful against an offensively balanced Pacers squad. The Bucks will likely have more trouble defending the Pacers than scoring on them, but both will be altered with Lillard out for the foreseeable future.

Another storyline entering this series is as mentioned, how the Bucks will do with Kyle Kuzma instead of Khris Middleton. In last year’s series, Middleton and Lillard carried the brunt of the scoring load, combining for 56 points per game. Neither will be playing this time around, so Kuzma will have to step up big-time if the Bucks want to win this series.

Kuzma hasn’t played in the playoffs in a while, but he was solid in the Lakers championship run in the 2019-20 season but wasn’t quite as good in the 2020-21 playoffs. Kuzma is a much-improved player now, so it will be interesting to see how he performs in the playoffs with a much bigger role.

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The final storyline for this series is how Giannis will have an impact. Everyone knows he is one of the best players in the league and he was sorely missed in last year’s playoff series between these two teams. With Lillard out and Middleton gone, Giannis may have to absolutely carry the team.

While a balanced attack may be necessary to oust the Pacers, it will be interesting to see how much Doc Rivers decides to rely on Giannis. It may take a 40-point-per-game series from Giannis for the team to win unless multiple other players can step up.

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