NBA Scout: Giannis, Lillard, Bucks Could Struggle vs. Cavs, Celtics, Pistons, Pacers

At least one NBA scout questioned whether the new-look Milwaukee Bucks could encounter some unexpected hurdles in their quest for an NBA championship.

Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix cited a scout who said the Bucks' "lack of athleticism will be a problem in the playoffs."

The Boston Celtics were the first difficult matchup presented for Milwaukee due to the superstar tandem of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. But the scout's list included some teams that aren't exactly contenders.

"They would probably match up poorly versus Cleveland," they told Mannix. "I think they match up poorly versus Boston. I also could see Milwaukee struggling more with the Detroits of the world. The Pacers are going to be a real thorn in that team's side."

To say the Bucks "lack" athleticism feels like a bit of a stretch when Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard are their two best players. Antetokounmpo remains unparalleled in terms of his combination of size (7'0" and 243 pounds) and strength, and Lillard hasn't exactly fallen off a cliff in terms of what he can do off the dribble.

Then you have Khris Middleton and Malik Beasley, neither of whom is an elite athlete but is nonetheless effective in his specified role. Deploying Middleton as a high-usage player didn't preclude the Bucks from lifting a title in 2021.

Ironically, general manager Jon Horst told The Athletic's Eric Nehm in July the front office did think Milwaukee needed more "team speed," something he was confident had been achieved.

"I think if you look at the things that we've done, we've added players that are faster, which sometimes translates to youth and athleticism, but I think just overall team speed," Horst said. "That could be on the close out. That could be in the transition running with Giannis. It can be with the ball. I think those guys all kind of do that."

He said that before executing the Lillard trade, which should make the Bucks an even more uptempo squad by exchanging Jrue Holiday for the seven-time All-Star.

There's no question that losing to the Miami Heat in the first round of the 2023 playoffs exposed some flaws with the Bucks roster. For some, it hammered home how their core stars were a little older than you may have realized.

But to argue Milwaukee might struggle to put away the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers in the regular season might be selling the team a bit short.