The Milwaukee Bucks spent part of the offseason tied to Peyton Watson, and after two preseason games, that idea looks a lot less like a nice rumor and a lot more like a real basketball fit.
Watson ended up with Cleveland, but the reason Milwaukee had interest in him is easy to see now. The Bucks still need help on the wing, and they need it most on the defensive end. That hole has already shown up early in preseason, where opposing stars have found plenty of room to operate.
Taylor Jenkins has been sorting through the forward group all preseason, giving looks to Kyle Kuzma, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Ousmane Dieng, Nate Ament, Bogoljub Markovic, and Pete Nance. The mix gives Milwaukee different tools, but the cracks are obvious too.
Kuzma had a rough game in his lone appearance. Jaquez has yet to get rolling offensively and still isn’t a proven defender.
Dieng looked solid in his only outing, though he remains raw. Ament and Markovic are rookies who need time, and Nance, even with a solid contribution, may not make it through roster cuts.
The bigger issue is simpler than the rotation math: the Bucks need somebody who can take the hardest wing assignment every night. In these two preseason games, Anthony Edwards and Jalen Williams caused problems because Milwaukee didn’t have the kind of defensive presence needed to slow them down.
That’s where Watson would have made sense. His defensive upside is exactly the sort of trait this roster is missing. Since that option is off the table, Milwaukee has to find another answer.
The Bucks are not approaching this season like a team willing to settle for losing. They want wins now, which means the front office probably has to keep searching for defensive help at one of the forward spots. Otherwise, this same weakness could keep showing up over and over.
Right now, Kuzma is the stopgap. He can defend, but he isn’t the ideal solution, especially with the way his offensive limitations can shrink his overall value.
Still, when Jayson Tatum, LeBron James, or Kevin Durant come to town, it looks like Kuzma will be the one asked to handle that burden. That might not be a formula Milwaukee wants to live with for long.
In Other News...
Jaime Jaquez Jr. Is Giving The Bucks A Tough Early Decision
Jaime Jaquez Jr.s first few preseason outings in Milwaukee have not offered much comfort for a team trying to sort out its long-term picture. Through the first two games, the young wing has had trouble finding a rhythm, and the early returns have only complicated the Bucks evaluation of where he fits as they continue building out the roster.
The timing makes it especially tricky because Milwaukee has a decision looming on whether to lock in a rookie-scale extension before the October 19 deadline. With Jaquez still searching for cleaner production and a more convincing on-court case, the Bucks are left weighing patience against the risk of waiting too long to settle a key piece of business. [Read more 🡒]
Ryan Rollins Is Already Forcing A Bucks Backcourt Debate
With the Bucks still reshaping themselves after the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, the early preseason has already offered a small but telling glimpse into how the backcourt might sort itself out. Ryan Rollins has taken advantage of the opening, playing with a steadier feel and a clear willingness to organize the offense, the kind of early tone-setting that can matter on a roster still learning itself.
Tyler Herro, by contrast, is still searching for his rhythm, and the contrast has been hard to miss in the first exhibition games. Preseason is a thin reed to lean on, especially with so much of the season still ahead, but the Bucks at least have a real discussion forming around who should steer the backcourt first when the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]
Brayden Burries Is Forcing A Bucks Rotation Question
Brayden Burries kept making the kind of late-game plays that can change a preseason conversation fast. In Milwaukees win over Oklahoma City, he supplied a burst of scoring in the closing minutes, added rebounds and chipped in on the defensive end, showing the sort of composure and two-way energy that coaches tend to notice when rotation spots are still unsettled.
For a Bucks team still sorting out its bench mix, Burries has at least created a real question. Taylor Jenkins has already pointed to defense as the area that could determine whether the rookie gets more court time, and that makes the next stretch of preseason work especially important. If Burries can keep bringing the same poise while proving he can stay in the right spots defensively, the case for a larger role gets a lot harder to ignore. [Read more 🡒]