Brayden Burries may have to take the long way into the Milwaukee Bucks’ rotation, and that might be exactly the right path for him.
A strong Summer League only added to the buzz around the new guard, but Milwaukee’s backcourt is crowded enough that an immediate starting job looks unlikely. Burries can handle both guard spots, and on plenty of teams that versatility would put him in line for major minutes right away. The Bucks, though, are loaded at those positions, which makes the early pecking order tough to crack.
Taylor Jenkins has plenty to sort through when he builds his starting backcourt. The most common expectation is Ryan Rollins and Tyler Herro, with Gary Trent Jr. - who just got a controversial raise - Kevin Porter Jr., AJ Green, and Kasparas Jakucionis also in the mix. That leaves Burries on the outside looking in for now, even if his talent suggests he belongs in the conversation down the line.
That’s where the Dylan Harper example comes in.
Last season, Harper arrived in San Antonio and was brought off the bench even though it was obvious he had earned more. He didn’t push back.
He accepted the role, and the Spurs benefited from it in a big way, reaching the NBA Finals. The lesson for Burries is clear: if he handles his first NBA role the same way, it could set the tone for everything that follows.
And there’s real value in that bench role, too. The Spurs were dangerous last season not just because of Victor Wembanyama, the 7-foot-4 MVP candidate, but because they could keep pressure on opponents even when De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle sat.
Harper gave them that cushion. He finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting and 11th in the Sixth Man of the Year race, proving he could thrive even behind two high-usage guards.
Milwaukee would love to see Burries do something similar. Rollins and Herro will likely carry the starting load, but they’ll need rest, and that’s when Burries can make his case. If he turns those minutes into real production, he could end up in the same kind of award conversations Harper found himself in.
For now, Burries is the name everyone in Milwaukee is talking about. The excitement was already there, and Summer League only turned up the volume. The Bucks believe they’ve got something real, and with Jenkins leading the way, they’ll try to get the most out of him no matter where he starts.
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The bigger takeaway for the Bucks is the timeline. Markovic is not being asked to arrive as an instant frontcourt answer, and the path ahead points toward patient development rather than immediate rotation minutes. With a crowded group of bigs ahead of him, and the possibility of extra reps in the G League, Milwaukee appears to be treating this as a long-term project, which is probably the right way to read his Summer League showing. [Read more 🡒]
Bucks Fans May Not Like Whats Emerging In Jonathan Kuminga Pursuit
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For the Bucks, that uncertainty matters because there has not been much recent reporting to suggest a firm push, and their pursuit may end up being shaped by how they handle the rest of their forward options. Los Angeles has already cooled its stance over draft-capital concerns, which only adds to the sense that Milwaukees own approach could hinge on a separate target before Kumingas market really settles. [Read more 🡒]
Bucks Summer League Rankings Raised One Big Question About The Rebuild
The Bucks 2-3 finish in the 2026 NBA Summer League did not exactly light up the standings, but the results were only part of the point in Las Vegas. More important for Milwaukee was the look it got at a handful of young players and how they might fit into a rebuild that still needs cheap, useful talent to emerge from the margins.
Burries was the clearest bright spot, while Ament, Kasparas and Nance each offered a different kind of reminder about how much development still has to happen before any of them can be counted on in real NBA minutes. The evaluations were encouraging in spots and sobering in others, which is exactly why the Bucks summer inventory now leaves one bigger question hanging over the rest of the offseason. [Read more 🡒]