NBA Central Division Preview: Can the Bucks defend their title?

The 2021-22 NBA campaign is nearly upon us. To get you primed for the upcoming season, we’ll be running through season previews of each NBA division. Today, we zero in on the Central Division, home to the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks.

MILWAUKEE BUCKS

2020-21 record: 46-26
Key additions: Grayson Allen, George Hill
Key departures: PJ Tucker, Bryn Forbes

The Milwaukee Bucks, after years of dashed playoff hopes, finally got over the hump, winning the first title for the franchise since 1971, cementing Giannis Antetokounmpo’s status as an all-time great in the process. The Bucks will be playing with that post-championship confidence, and they figured some things out during the regular season that should see their defense return to its typical top-three ranking.

Despite already being a two-time MVP, Giannis clearly leveled up during the playoffs. If that is just who Giannis is now, the Bucks could be dramatically better than in previous seasons. Losing PJ Tucker hurts their Giannis-at-center lineups defensively, but Tucker’s limitations on offense make it a worthy gamble. The addition of Grayson Allen and the return of Donte DiVincenzo gives them some desperately needed shooting.

INDIANA PACERS

2020-21 record: 34-38
Key additions: Chris Duarte, Torrey Craig
Key departures: Doug McDermott

The Indiana Pacers were another Eastern team that struggled mightily last season, with first-year head coach Nate Bjorkgren inciting an organization-wide mutiny before he could implement his schemes to modernize the Indiana offense.

While they made few free-agent acquisitions, the addition of Rick Carlisle at head coach is a significant upgrade. Carlisle has a tendency to wear on players over time, but he is undoubtedly one of the greatest tacticians in the NBA, who has shown a knack for creative lineup management time and time again. The Pacers will need that creativity, as they continue to be hammered by injury woes with T.J. Warren, Caris LeVert, Edmund Sumner, and Goga Bitadze all on the sidelines entering training camp.

CHICAGO BULLS

2020-21 record: 31-41
Key additions: Lonzo Ball, DeMar DeRozan, Alex Caruso
Key departures: Thad Young, Lauri Markkanen, Garrett Temple, Tomas Satoransky

The Chicago Bulls are all in. They had the splashiest offseason in the division, bringing in Lonzo Ball, DeMar Derozan, and Alex Caruso to build a stacked backcourt alongside Zach LaVine. That on top of the midseason acquisition of All-Star center Nikola Vucevic in March has the Bulls fixing their eyes firmly on a playoff berth.

But they face great competition to get there, and with the severe defensive limitations of their most talent-laden lineups, it’s hard to see how they are not a bottom 10 defense. To make matters worse, they also just lost Patrick Williams, who figured to be their best defender in the starting lineup, for 4-6 weeks with an ankle sprain.

Chicago needs to win big to keep Zach LaVine from chasing greener pastures as a free agent this summer, but this team looks more likely to be play-in than playoff-caliber.

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

2020-21 record: 22-50
Key additions: Evan Mobley, Lauri Markkanen
Key departures: Larry Nance Jr.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, who were a bottom-five team on defense and offense last year, are sick of being bad. That’s why they invested big money and draft equity to shore up their frontcourt with Evan Mobley, Lauri Markannen, and Jarrett Allen.

Mobley has an intriguing upside as a defensive center who can act as a playmaking hub on offense, and Darius Garland took major strides last year as a point of attack initiator. Collin Sexton has steadily improved every year as a pro. But the long-term big-money deals for both Allen and Markkanen hamstring any potential upside with this core, and create tough fit questions for head coach J.B. Bickerstaff.  Bickerstaff will walk an impossible tightrope between chasing the play-in and doing what is best for his team to develop long-term.

DETROIT PISTONS

2020-21 record: 20-52
Key additions: Cade Cunningham, Kelly Olynyk
Key departures: Mason Plumlee

After several seasons mired in obscurity, the league's eyes will shift to the Motor City this year to get a close look at No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham.

It is not an overstatement to say that Cunningham has the potential to be the level of player that turns a franchise fortunes around by himself. His size, shooting ability, playmaking, and relentless commitment to defense and winning basketball make him unique among rookie wings.

The main question facing Detroit will be how they continue to bring along last year’s lottery pick, Killian Hayes. Will they keep the faith with Hayes and give him a full season at the helm, or will Cunningham get the keys to the offense on day one? And can the two play together without stifling Cade’s development? This year, another headed for the lottery, is their best chance to find out.

CENTRAL DIVISION PREDICTION

The Bucks will remain untouchable in their division.

PICK: MILWAUKEE BUCKS (-1250)