The Milwaukee Bucks enter the NBA’s restart with the league’s best record and are the heavy favorites to be the East’s representative in the NBA Finals. That is in large part due to the presence of presumed MVP frontrunner Giannis Antetokounmpo as well as the continued emergence of Khris Middleton as a legitimate second star on the team.
It’s far from just a two-man effort in Milwaukee, as part of what has made them so great this season is their tremendous depth. That depth is being tested in the bubble, as the Bucks are now awaiting two of their guards’ arrival to Disney after positive COVID-19 tests. Starting point guard Eric Bledsoe announced he had tested positive last week but is feeling well, hoping to join the team soon. Now, we have learned that reserve guard Pat Connaughton is likewise not in the Orlando bubble after a positive test, although he too hopes to be able to join the team in the near future.
Bucks guard Pat Connaughton, who was diagnosed with COVID-19, is not in Orlando with the team and released the following statement to ESPN and Milwaukee JS: pic.twitter.com/FCRfubq6JM
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) July 20, 2020
Connaughton averaged 5.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game for the Bucks in 18 minutes per on the season. Being down a pair of rotation guards would put the Bucks in a bit of a bind, as a greater load would fall on the likes of Donte DiVincenzo, George Hill, Kyle Korver and Wesley Matthews to fill out more minutes in the rotation if Bledsoe and Connaughton miss any time.
The good news for Milwaukee is they, maybe more than any other team, figure to have the most time to get themselves together, as not only do they have the eight-game run to the playoffs, but their first round series figures to be the easiest any team will have in the bubble. That may be critical if they don’t get their squad all the way together until right as the games begin again, allowing them to bring late arrivals along slowly in the bubble in a luxury not every team will be afforded.