The Bucks don’t need Brayden Burries to be finished product yet. They just need him to look like a player worth building around, and through four preseason games, he has done exactly that.
For Milwaukee, that matters. The team used a valuable lottery pick on the rookie guard, and chances to land players that high may not come around often in the years ahead. So even with the preseason caveat firmly in place, Burries showing real signs of life right away is exactly the kind of start the Bucks wanted.
In four preseason appearances, Burries logged meaningful minutes and turned them into production. He averaged 14.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.5 steals while shooting 41.3% from the floor and 11.8% from deep on 4.3 three-point attempts a night.
The shooting numbers are rough, and there’s no way around that. An 11% mark from three won’t hold up, and 41% overall is not where he’ll want to live long term.
But that’s the tradeoff with a rookie getting his first real taste of NBA competition. The mistakes come with the evaluation, and the early sample is more about what he can do than what he has already perfected.
And Burries has given the Bucks enough to work with. The scoring flashes are there.
So are the passing feel, the ball-handling, and the ability to create disruption on defense. That’s the kind of package that gets a team’s attention, especially when it comes from a young guard the organization is hoping to develop into a major piece.
It’s still early, and Burries has a long way to go. But he has already shown enough to make the next step obvious: Milwaukee needs to prioritize his growth.
In Other News...
Bucks Face One Big Roster Question After The Giannis Era
With Giannis Antetokounmpo gone, the Bucks are moving quickly into a new phase of roster building, and the front office is already weighing ways to keep Milwaukee competitive in a suddenly wide-open Eastern Conference. Myles Turner, Kyle Kuzma, Kevin Porter Jr. and AJ Green have all come up in trade discussions as the team looks for a blend of talent, depth and fit, with the goal of reshaping a roster that still needs more answers than assurances.
The challenge now is not just finding upgrades, but finding the right kind of deal in a market shaped by contract complications and health questions. Milwaukee is trying to balance youth with experience while sorting through who can realistically be moved, and which scenarios actually make sense as the Bucks try to stay in the mix without the franchise centerpiece who defined their title window. [Read more 🡒]
Tyrese Haliburtons Fiery Bucks Exchange Looks Even More Personal Now
A preseason game between the Pacers and Bucks on Oct. 15 had a little more edge than most tune-ups, with Tyrese Haliburton and Ryan Rollins getting into a heated verbal exchange after a hard foul. Haliburton was hit with a technical foul in the moment, and the back-and-forth lingered enough to draw attention beyond the floor once a lip reader broke down what was said on social media.
It was the kind of exchange that can stick in the memory long after the box score fades, especially in a game Milwaukee edged 128-127 in overtime. Haliburton finished with 17 points and six assists, Rollins had eight points and five assists, and neither was on the court for the extra period, but the tension between them made this one feel a little more personal than a typical preseason meeting. [Read more 🡒]