StaTuesday: The Bucks and how other teams fared year after big turnaround
The NBA is officially back.
Well, at least media day is behind us and training camp practices are underway. The Milwaukee Bucks will be looking to build upon last year's playoff appearance. The Bucks won 41 games in 2014-15 -- a 26-win upgrade over 2013-14, which was one of the better turnarounds in NBA history.
In fact, only 10 other teams had as many or more wins from one season to the next. Of course, the majority of those teams added a superstar player or had a very high draft pick (think the likes of James Harden, Steve Nash, Larry Bird, Kevin Garnett, David Robinson and Tim Duncan). The Bucks did as well, but No. 2 overall pick Jabari Parker missed most of the season. Now, Milwaukee gets him back, plus it added Greg Monroe in free agency. So 41 wins is now the baseline, as the Bucks look to increase that number once again in making another playoff run.
How did the other 10 teams fare in Year 3? Here's a look at those with the biggest victory boosts from one year to the next, and how they did the season after their incredible turnaround (in order of most wins from season 1 to season 2).
| TEAM | SEASON 1 | SEASON 2 | SEASON 3 |
| Bucks (2013-current) | 15-67 | 41-41 | ??-?? |
| Nuggets (2002-05) | 17-65 | 43-39 | 49-33 |
| Suns (1987-90) | 28-54 | 55-27 | 54-28 |
| Thunder (2008-11) | 23-59 | 50-52 | 55-27 |
| Heat (2007-10) | 15-67 | 43-39 | 47-35 |
| Bucks (1968-71) | 27-55 | 56-26 | 66-16 |
| Celtics (1978-81) | 29-53 | 61-21 | 62-20 |
| Suns (2003-06) | 29-53 | 62-20 | 54-28 |
| Spurs (1988-91) | 21-61 | 55-26 | 55-27 |
| Spurs (1996-98) | 20-62 | 56-26 | 37-13 |
| Celtics (2006-09) | 24-58 | 66-16 | 62-20 |
As you can see, of the 10 other teams, seven increased their win total the season after making a big turnaround (note: The Spurs' winning percentage in the lockout-shortened 1997-98 season was better than their 1997-98 percentage). The three exceptions are the 1989-90 Suns, 2005-06 Suns and 2008-09 Celtics, but those teams still won 54, 54 and 62 games. Not too shabby.
So at least history has the Bucks pointed in the right direction, although the return of Parker, the addition of Monroe and the maturation of Giannis Antetokounmpo certainly doesn't hurt, either.
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