As the Milwaukee Bucks enter a season marked by uncertainty, they're going to need to use the Philadelphia 76ers' 2023-24 season as a cautionary tale. That year, the Sixers essentially leaned into taking a "gap year" of sorts, and that's precisely what Milwaukee can't afford to do in 2025-26.
The proverbial "gap year" has become sort of the phrase of the offseason this summer in the NBA. With the Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers and others all set to be without key contributors in the upcoming campaign, there's a lot of talk that certain teams should or should not intentionally take a step back and focus more on the long-term.