Giannis Antetokounmpo became a versatile offensive weapon when he was moved to the point guard spot in February, displaying all-star talent. Credit: Getty Images

By of the

Nearly 40 years later, the Milwaukee Bucks may want to reprise that "Green and Growing" theme.

A rebuilding Bucks team in the 1970s gave way to sustained success under coach Don Nelson in the 1980s.

Now can the Bucks do it again under coach Jason Kidd?

It's time to figure out if the program is heading up or down, starting with the 2016-'17 season. Results during the past season were not encouraging as the Bucks fell hard to a 33-49 record, eight games worse than the previous year.

But the Bucks' three young stars — 21-year-olds Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker and 24-year-old Khris Middleton — showed steady improvement and glimpses of greatness.

Finding an all-star would be a breakthrough. So would the Bucks' first winning season since 2009-'10, when they went 46-36 and lost in the opening playoff round to Atlanta in seven games. Winning a playoff series? You have to go back to 2001 for that, when the Bucks advanced to the Eastern Conference finals.

Antetokounmpo was so impressive after his move to point guard in February that reporters were asking Bucks officials if he could average close to a triple-double next season.

What? That would be Oscar Robertson stuff.

"Giannis is going to be able to score the ball," Bucks general manager John Hammond said. "He's got to shoot the ball more consistently, and he knows that. It's going to be a point of concentration for him.

"His ability to go out and get 10 rebounds, I don't want to take that for granted, but that's somewhat natural for him. If we have good enough players around him, is the third piece (double-figure assists) a possibility? I think it can be, but we have to have good enough players around him and for him to continue to be aware and learn how to be that facilitator."

Antetokounmpo registered five triple-doubles over the last two months of the season, after never getting one in his first two-plus seasons in the NBA.

Kidd said it's possible a player could average a triple-double even though it would be extremely difficult.

"You can't say no," Kidd said, "and I hate to put that pressure on him (Antetokounmpo). You look at what (Russell) Westbrook has done. There's going to be a chance for a player to do something Oscar has done, and that's averaging a triple-double.

"Is there a player that could do it? Westbrook is probably one. Giannis is probably right there in that same conversation. As he gets older and starts to dissect the game better, you can't rule him out."

Middleton diversified his game and carried a heavy minutes load without complaint, and Parker emerged as a consistent scorer after the all-star break.

"We're still young, and I know that's an excuse in a lot of our eyes," Parker said. "But I think this year has pretty much helped us grow.

"We've seen what he (Antetokounmpo) can do these last two months running the point guard. It's been successful for us."

Now the off-season challenge for Bucks management is to bring in the right players to surround the young core while seeing improvement from Michael Carter-Williams, Greg Monroe and John Henson, among others.

"It's all right to struggle and it's all right to admit that we struggled," Kidd said. "But at the same time, having some vet guys who've won and who are true pros will only help with the process."

The Bucks bench was a major weakness and put an incredible demand on the starters each night. Kidd said that has to change.

"If you look at the teams that are moving on, the teams at the top of the pecking order, they're deep," Kidd said. "Golden State has a great bench and great chemistry.

"They move the ball. We can talk about our physical and mental makeup, but we've got to get better at moving the ball. You look at San Antonio, Cleveland. Those three teams are deep; they don't just have five guys.

"Our success last year came from our bench as much as our starters."

Kidd said the Bucks have to find veteran role players who can score 12 to 15 points a night to complement the scoring of Parker, Antetokounmpo and Middleton. Jerryd Bayless was the steadiest contributor off the bench but missed significant time with injuries.

Finding the right balance of youth and experience can be tricky. Hammond pointed out how Miami has received big contributions from veterans Dwyane Wade, Luol Deng and Joe Johnson, complementing the youth of Hassan Whiteside, Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson.

"You win with veteran experience, and we understand that we don't have that today," Hammond said. "And we understand we may not have all that next year.

"This is still the process and that's letting these young guys grow, and in particular Giannis and Jabari. At 21 years old, we have to let those guys mature and develop as players.

"I'm not saying it will take until they're 32 years old, but we've got to give them a chance to grow, breathe and find out who they're going to be in this league."

Antetokounmpo, entering the final year of his rookie-scale deal, will be eligible for a contract extension during the summer and the Bucks have interest in bringing back Bayless, Miles Plumlee and Steve Novak, all free agents.

Hammond said the Bucks have flexibility to make roster moves, given the expiring deals of several players on the roster and the potential for making off-season deals. Milwaukee also holds the No. 10 slot in the league's current draft positioning and has a 6.5% chance to move up into one of the top three spots in the May 17 draft lottery.