Rocky Widner/NBAE/Getty ImagesBrandon Jennings needs to become more of a distributor for Milwaukee.

From the shimmering skyline to its legendary work ethic to its megawatt star power, the city of Chicago is the crown jewel of the Midwest. It casts a long shadow over its Midwestern neighbors, inspiring both envy and wonder. That could easily be a metaphor for the Chicago Bulls and the two teams in the Central Division who finished second and third to them this season and greatly aspire to follow them to the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference.

The Bulls were led by MVP Derrick Rose to a league-best 62 wins and a spot in the conference finals, officially marking their return to prominence. But the Bucks and Pacers will have to get it done without a Rose-caliber star. Their odds of challenging the Bulls are long, but there’s every chance to make some serious strides toward relevance this season.

Milwaukee Bucks

The situation: The Bucks simply need a total re-think on offense. Their attack lacks adequate firepower to compete with playoff-caliber teams. There’s really nowhere to go but up. There is a silver lining, however: Despite being 30th in scoring and assists, they were competitive on a nightly basis thanks to their defense, and managed to win 35 games.

Andrew Bogut is one of the league’s best-kept secrets and the anchor of that D, swatting away a league-high 2.6 shots per game. Maybe he didn’t turn out to be the franchise-changing big he was supposed to be as the No. 1 pick, but the Bucks are content to live with who he is — a quality shot-blocker and hard-working rebounder with the ability to score around the rim. Brandon Jennings is a proven scorer who plays an exciting brand of ball, but the remainder of the roster could go through extensive changes if the Bucks want to see themselves competing with the likes of the Bulls.

Key needs: The Bucks have as many needs as any team in the league. Name it and they need it. Players who can create for others. A power forward who can score, defend and rebound. A big point guard who could let Jennings focus on scoring (Beno Udrih could be just what they’re looking for). A versatile small forward who can crash the glass and match up against the great 3s they see nightly (hello, Stephen Jackson).

But starting small is more important. The Bucks would benefit from any combination of players who could run an effective pick-and-roll offense, which they have struggled to do because they lack the personnel to identify and make the right passes. The advantages of a solid pick-and-roll game are many. Aside from the several different shot opportunities it creates, it can free up perimeter shooters waiting around the arc because defenders often collapse to help. A quality pick-and-roll game would be a step in the right direction and add at least some fluidity.

Time to step up: Jennings’ role could very well use a makeover. When your leading scorer averages just 16 points on 39 percent shooting, there’s going to be trouble. While his scoring prowess can be at times breathtaking, it often comes at the expense of those around him. That’s because Jennings is the only Buck who can create shots for others, and he doesn’t do enough of it (4.8 assists per game).

A franchise player at point guard needs to be first and foremost a creator. And with a career field goal percentage of 37, Jennings simply can’t carry a team by shooting it to victory from the point. Jennings actually would be better suited as an Allen Iverson-type of 2 who can play off a big passing point guard and focus on scoring. A quick and potentially long-term fix is starting Udrih at point guard, moving Jennings to shooting guard and sliding in Jackson at small forward, which would immediately give Milwaukee its most potent backcourt in years.

Indiana Pacers

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Ron Hoskins/NBAE/Getty ImagesOutside of Danny Granger, Darren Collison possesses the most potential of any player on Indiana’s roster.

The situation: The Pacers surprised more than a few observers by playing the Bulls as tough as they did in the first round — their first playoff appearance since 2006 — with a collection of players most casual fans would be hard-pressed to identify. Now is the time to build on that. With a group of personalities and matching games that complement one another, the Pacers have a nucleus that could potentially grow very well together. For a 37-win team, their future looks fairly bright.

But they’ve got to make some moves to bring in a game-changing power forward and a consistent scorer at small forward. As a team they do a lot of things really well, but nothing exceptionally well. They are about middle of the road in most team categories (however they’re fifth in the league in rebounding), but have the kind of players bent on improving their games and a coach in Frank Vogel who has sold them on his smashmouth style of basketball.

Key needs: The Pacers are an anomaly — an unselfish team that ranks near the bottom of the league in assists. That’s in part because, much like the Bucks, they only have only one true setup man: Darren Collison. The team is loaded with an odd mix of guys who catch and shoot and can’t create for others. Since Collison is a viable option at point, having a quality passer at another position would help. Another forward with a knack for distributing the ball who can see over defenses might be a great complement for Danny Granger, who is at his best when in scoring mode.

Speaking of anomalies, Indiana was fifth in rebounding despite the fact its top rebounder, Roy Hibbert, averaged only 7.5 rebounds per game. The Pacers could also benefit from a defensive-minded power forward who owns the glass and gives them the kind of edge they seem to lack each year.

Time to step up: Outside of Granger, the player with the highest ceiling on this roster is Collison. After building confidence by going head-to-head with Rose in his first playoff series, Collison now needs to improve several facets of his game. He didn’t put up great numbers in the postseason (9.4 points, 4 assists, 2.6 rebounds) but still has the makings of a franchise point guard and can become an elite passer in this league. (In fact, it’s he who holds the Hornets’ rookie record for assists in a game, not Chris Paul.)

He could stand to put on about 15 pounds or so to more effectively guard stronger point guards. Collison isn’t a bad shooter, and for a young point has fairly good shot selection, but he needs a more consistent deep ball to open up his penetration. Getting his drive-and-kick game going a bit more would help, as would having another scorer to look for besides Granger. Let’s face it, the Pacers need two All-Star caliber players to make significant moves up through the Eastern Conference, so the onus is on Collison to get to that level.