Ranking Bucks' Three Biggest X-Factors on New-Look Roster

The Bucks are a different franchise than they were in June.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis were traded to Miami in a deal that was agreed to on June 23 and finalized on July 6, the return headlined by Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis and a stack of picks.

Milwaukee also kept its own lottery pick, added another from Miami, and handed the whole project to new head coach Taylor Jenkins.

Coming off a 32-50 season that ended 11th in the East, the roster has more questions than answers, and that is not an insult so much as a description of what a real rebuild looks like in its first summer.

These three come with the widest range of outcomes, and each one can change what this team is on a completely different timeline.

The No. 10 pick from Arizona wasted no time making the front office look smart, averaging 23.5 points per game in Las Vegas, the fifth-highest mark among all Summer League players, on his way to becoming the top rookie guard of the event.

He was the first Bucks player to make the All-Summer League first team since 2022.

Summer numbers are not real life, but a rebuilding team can afford to let a 6-foot-4 guard play through mistakes, and if Burries scores like that in real games, the timeline for this whole thing shortens.

Ware is the quiet prize of the trade.

He played 77 games as a 21-year-old center last season and averaged 11.1 points and 9.0 rebounds, and big men with that production at that age do not become available very often.

The Bucks were 29th in scoring last season, so they need Ware to grow from a solid starter into a nightly problem for opponents.

His development matters more than any single free agent Milwaukee could chase, and it will go a long way toward deciding where the Bucks finish in an improving East.

Herro is the swing piece, and he is also coming home, which adds a layer to the fit.

He played only 33 games last season after foot surgery cost him the start of the year, but he still averaged 20.5 points while shooting 37.8 percent from three.

A healthy Herro gives Milwaukee a proven first option while Burries and Jakucionis learn, and he is the difference between a team that fights for a play-in spot and one that drifts toward the lottery again.

The Bucks re-signed Gary Trent Jr. and added Caris LeVert in a six-team deal, so the backcourt has real depth on paper.

Depth only matters if the best guard on the roster stays on the floor, and that is why Herro's health is the single biggest variable in Milwaukee this season.

Rebuilds are judged by what the young players become, but they are experienced through the games in front of everyone right now, and Herro is the one player who can make both of those things look good at the same time.