The Bucks are spending the preseason doing the uncomfortable part of roster building: sorting out who actually deserves real minutes when the games start to count.
In Sunday night’s preseason matchup with the Charlotte Hornets, Milwaukee kept tinkering with its bench mix, and the results have made the decision tree a little clearer. Head coach Taylor Jenkins has used the first three preseason games to rotate through different combinations, trying to get a look at as many players as possible before the season opens Oct. 21 against the Washington Wizards.
The starting group has remained mostly steady, aside from Kyle Kuzma and Kel'el Ware trading places at power forward against the Oklahoma City Thunder last Wednesday. The real movement has come behind them, where Jenkins has taken a very different approach from game to game.
Against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the opener, the bench leaned heavily on the more established names. Kevin Porter Jr., Gary Trent Jr., AJ Green and Caris LeVert handled most of the work, and the group finished with 24 points on 6-for-25 shooting from the field and 5-for-15 from 3-point range. That’s not the kind of line that jumps off the page, but it also came in the first real game action against an opponent, so the early struggles were hardly a reason to panic.
Jenkins also mixed in two rookies, Brayden Burries and Nate Ament, and both got their first real look at NBA speed. They combined for 15 points while shooting 5-for-14 from the field and 2-for-4 from deep, a solid first impression from the pair of first-round picks.
The next preseason game brought a different group into the spotlight. Ousmane Dieng and Kasparas Jakučionis, who had not played in the opener, got their chance against the Thunder, while Porter, Trent, Green and LeVert sat.
That shift opened the door for Dieng, Jakučionis, Burries and Ament to log more minutes, and Milwaukee got a much louder offensive showing. The four youngsters combined for 37 points on 12-for-34 shooting and 2-for-13 from 3-point range, and they also chipped in 13 assists off the bench.
Ament played only nine minutes after leaving with a minor ankle injury, but the overall production was stronger even if the efficiency still left room for improvement.
Sunday swung the pendulum back again, with Jenkins returning to the earlier veteran-heavy setup. This time, the group struggled badly, scoring just 12 points and shooting 3-for-22 from the field and 2-for-11 from 3. For the second time in the preseason, that role-player group finished under 30 points and shot below 30% from the floor.
That contrast matters because Milwaukee is still trying to figure out how its depth should be organized once the season begins. Jenkins has a reputation for leaning into depth, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him use 10 or 11 players in the rotation.
The shape of that rotation, at least based on the preseason, should include Burries, Dieng, Ament and Jericho Sims in key roles. Burries and Ament are the rookies to watch, with Burries able to handle both guard spots, create offense for himself and teammates, and defend multiple positions. Ament brings size and skill on both ends, and while his efficiency has improved, he may need time before he gets a bigger role.
Sims fits as the physical presence in the second unit, the kind of athletic big who can bring energy, rebound and finish around the rim. He also becomes more important if Jenkins continues using a double-big look with Ware and Turner, where someone has to do the dirty work on the glass and turn hustle into easy points.
Dieng looks like another piece who should get a longer runway. He can score for himself, but he also showed against Oklahoma City that he can create for others, finishing that game with seven assists off the bench. Ware and Kuzma, meanwhile, appear likely to keep moving in and out of the starting group as the season unfolds.
The toughest call is at guard, where Porter and Jakučionis bring very different strengths. Porter gives Milwaukee instant scoring and shot creation, which makes him the obvious first guard off the bench when the Bucks need a jolt. Jakučionis is the steadier playmaker, a more traditional point guard who can run the offense, set up teammates and still find his own shot within the flow.
He can also share the floor with Porter, but Burries needs minutes too, and that’s where the math gets tight. With a top-10 pick in the mix, Jakučionis’ development has to matter, especially since he’s only 20.
Green and Trent project as the 3-and-D options who help space the floor. LeVert is the wild card, a scorer who may end up buried a bit in the pecking order but will always look to get his own shot once he checks in.
That’s the tradeoff when a roster has real depth: somebody is going to be left waiting. Jenkins will likely keep sorting through it based on matchups and who’s playing well on a given night.
Milwaukee’s next preseason test comes Wednesday against the Chicago Bulls, and there’s a good chance Jenkins gives the younger group another chance to show it belongs. If they outplay the veterans again, the Bucks will have a more complicated call to make with the regular season right around the corner.
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Kyle Kuzma Just Made The Bucks Starting Decision Tougher
Kyle Kuzma gave the Bucks another reason to keep mulling over the frontcourt mix in their third preseason game, turning in a solid all-around showing that fit neatly into the kind of lineup experimentation Milwaukee has leaned into this month. Taylor Jenkins has been testing different looks as the staff tries to sort out roles, and the power forward spot has emerged as one of the clearest unresolved pieces as camp winds down.
Kelel Ware got a look in Kuzmas place in the second preseason game, which only added to the sense that this decision is still very much open. With two exhibition games left before the Bucks have to settle on a starting group, Kuzmas latest performance made the choice a little less straightforward and a lot more interesting. [Read more 🡒]
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Milwaukee brought in Caris LeVert this offseason as part of a deal with Detroit that sent Taurean Prince and Gary Harris the other way along with two future second-round picks. On paper, it was the kind of move that gave the Bucks another experienced wing option, but the early returns in preseason have been rough enough to keep the spotlight on something bigger than just his jumper.
LeVert has yet to make a shot or free throw in two exhibition appearances, and the on-court impact has been negative enough to raise a different question for the Bucks. Even so, his presence in training camp has been noticed for the right reasons, with his leadership standing out enough that Milwaukee may still see value in keeping him around if the broader fit proves worthwhile. [Read more 🡒]
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Kasparas Jakucionis has barely gotten his feet wet in the Bucks preseason, and the early usage says plenty about where he stands in the backcourt pecking order. Through Milwaukees first three exhibition games, the young guard has been on the floor sparingly while the team sorts through a crowded group of ball handlers and perimeter players, leaving little immediate room for him to work his way into the rotation.
For a Bucks team that needs to balance present-day depth with long-term development, Jakucionis already looks like a player whose path may not be straightforward. Milwaukee has options to sort through, whether that means making a roster adjustment at guard or finding a way to get him steadier minutes with the Wisconsin Herd so he can keep developing in a real game setting. [Read more 🡒]