The Bucks are 1-5, and Saturday night’s 136-111 loss to the Cavaliers only sharpened the question hanging over Milwaukee: is it already time to tilt the rotation toward the younger players?
A few of the names the Bucks were counting on have not gotten off the ground. Ryan Rollins finished with nine points on 4-for-11 shooting from the field and 1-for-5 from 3-point range.
Myles Turner added 10 points while going 4-for-10 from the field and 1-for-4 from deep. For a team that expected both players to matter in major ways this season, the early returns have been rough.
The loss also brought a different group into focus. Because the game got out of hand, Brayden Burries and Nate Ament had a chance to see extended minutes, and both delivered career nights.
Each finished with 14 points. Ament was especially efficient, going 6-for-8 from the field and 2-for-3 from 3-point range.
Burries shot 4-for-7 from the field and continued to look more comfortable as the season has gone on.
Afterward, head coach Taylor Jenkins said the rookies have been working through a moving target when it comes to lineups, but he sounded willing to adjust after Cleveland took control in the second quarter.
Bucks coach Taylor Jenkins is "open-minded" to changes after the second quarter got away against Cleveland. On his rookies: "Night to night they're playing with different personnel groupings. We haven't found consistency when it comes to who they're playing with."
There have been other encouraging signs from the younger group, too. Kel'el Ware and Kasparas Jakučionis have both been productive off the bench, and Ware has already posted his third double-double in six games.
That’s where the conversation starts to shift. It’s still early, but a 1-5 start changes the temperature fast.
When veterans are struggling and younger players are flashing real production, it becomes harder to justify keeping the same minutes distribution in place. AJ Green, Rollins and Turner have all been underwhelming so far, while Burries, Jakučionis, Ament and Ware have given the Bucks more to work with.
A reduction in minutes for Rollins, AJ Green and Turner would open the door for more run for Burries, Ament and Ware. Ware has been the third leading scorer off the bench and the team’s best rebounder.
Ament has been hitting about 46% of his shots from the field and 44% from 3-point range. Burries has brought speed in transition and the kind of finishing ability that can change a possession in a hurry.
The bigger point is simple: if the season is already trending in the wrong direction, the Bucks should at least use it to develop the players who look like part of the future. Wins may not come often this year, but the minutes still have to mean something.
That doesn’t have to turn into a full youth-only lineup. The idea is to gradually expand the younger players’ roles and, if the game state allows it, trust them more when things tighten up.
The veterans can still be part of the mix. But every minute that goes to Ware or Ament, and even Ousmane Dieng, instead of Turner or Kyle Kuzma, is a minute that can serve a larger purpose.
In the backcourt, the same logic applies. The Bucks have been careful not to force Gary Trent Jr. into heavy minutes, and that makes sense.
But Rollins should probably see a smaller load if the production isn’t there. More Kasparas Jakucionis.
More Brayden Burries. And on nights when Herro inevitably misses, maybe even some starts together.
In Other News...
Bucks May Have A Simple Rotation Fix For Ryan Rollins
Ryan Rollins early-season dip in scoring and shooting efficiency has become one of the quieter concerns around Milwaukee, especially after the way he flashed last year. The Bucks have been searching for the right mix around him, and one possible answer is hiding in plain sight: more minutes alongside Kasparas Jakucionis, whose passing has already become a meaningful part of the offense.
The pairing has not been used much, but the numbers from their shared stretches have been encouraging enough to suggest there may be a simple rotation tweak available. If Milwaukee wants to get Rollins back into a better rhythm, leaning into that combination could be a practical next step, even if the sample size is still small. [Read more 🡒]
Bucks Showed The Same Alarming Problem In Cleveland Again
The Bucks ran into the same kind of trouble in Cleveland that has been hard to shake at times this season, getting overwhelmed in a 136-111 loss as the Cavaliers found rhythm almost from the start. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen helped drive a strong offensive night for Cleveland, and Milwaukee never really settled in defensively, leaving too many clean looks and too much space for the home team to control the game.
Even in a lopsided result, there were a couple of bright spots for Milwaukee off the bench. Rookies Brayden Burries and Nate Ament both turned in career-high scoring nights, a small silver lining on a frustrating evening, but the bigger concern remains the same: the Bucks continue to show the kind of defensive issues that can turn a competitive matchup into a runaway. [Read more 🡒]
Bucks Rookie Nate Ament Is Forcing A Bigger Role Early
Nate Ament has already worked his way into a more visible spot in the Bucks early-season rotation, and it has happened less because of hype than because Milwaukee needed someone to seize the opening. Ousmane Diengs uneven play created that opening, and Ament has taken advantage with steady minutes and a willingness to do the little things that keep him on the floor.
The rookies box score line is still modest, but there are signs of a player earning trust beyond the scoring column. He is shooting 45.8 percent from the field and has been effective defensively, holding opponents to a 31 percent shooting rate when he is the primary defender, even if the jump shot has not come around yet. For a Bucks team looking for reliable contributions around its core, the question now is how far Ament can push that role before the season settles in. [Read more 🡒]