Ranking the Milwaukee Bucks' 2015 Roster: We've reached the Final Four

Things should get interesting from here on out. Last time out we eliminated the last presumptive bench player left in our countdown, and to nobody's big surprise, the first starter to be shown the door is Michael Carter-Williams. MCW's overwhelming victory in the poll might speak to him being an unpopular guy around these parts, but it's pretty easily explained by a number of other less inflammatory factors.

For starters, the Bucks have a fair amount of depth at the point guard position. Jerryd Bayless and Greivis Vasquez are both capable, if uninspiring, backups, while Tyler Ennis offers another young project with a chance to factor into the rotation down the road. Maybe more importantly, a diversified offense enabled by the addition of Greg Monroe and return of Jabari Parker might render the Bucks a little less point guard reliant than last year--MCW used almost 26 percent of Milwaukee's possessions when he was on the court last season.

One might even argue that MCW's contract situation worked against him a bit in this exercise, a strange result for a recent first-round pick. It would be a stretch to say Carter-Williams' future as a starter is assured, but he'll need a new contract in just a few years regardless. At that point, the prospect of paying a potentially limited player in an exploding salary cap environment starts to look pretty unattractive. Compare that with the (presumably) known quantities in Greg Monroe and Khris Middleton--each much more expensive, but easier to rationalize given their talent and production.

But Carter-Williams didn't last all the way to #5 by default. Being in a better offensive situation with a diverse set of weapons around him should be a big boon this season, and it's fair to assume some natural improvement with age and more time in Milwaukee's system. He would certainly seem to be the starter with the most long-term questions, but hopefully the coming year will bring some answers.

Milwaukee Bucks 2015 Roster Rankings

15. Johnny O'Bryant
14. Tyler Ennis
13. Damien Inglis
12. Miles Plumlee
11. Chris Copeland
10. Jerryd Bayless
9. O.J. Mayo
8. Greivis Vasquez
7. Rashad Vaughn
6. John Henson
5. Michael Carter-Williams

*********

Cast your vote for the next guy off Bucks Island below. Remember -- production, potential and salary all matter, though you can weigh them however much or little you like. Here's the Bucks' updated cap situation as a refresher: