The Bucks are making a clear bet on their young core, and it starts with keeping Kel’el Ware and Kasparas Jakucionis around for the long haul.
According to Michael Scotto of Hoopshype, Milwaukee will exercise its rookie scale team options on Ware’s $7.14 million option and Jakucionis’s $4.02 million option for the 2027-28 season. Both players arrived this offseason in the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade from the Miami Heat, and both were viewed as two of the key pieces in that deal.
Ware’s first two seasons in Miami gave a glimpse of what he can do when things are clicking. He averaged 10.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 54% from the field and 36.9% from 3-point range.
But his time with the Heat was uneven, with concerns about his effort, motor and playing time contributing to an up-and-down run under Erik Spoelstra. Milwaukee offered him a fresh start, and he’s taken advantage of it early.
Through six games with the Bucks, Ware has been one of their most productive players in a rough opening stretch. He’s the team’s third-leading scorer and top rebounder, putting up 13 points and 8.7 rebounds per game while shooting 46.8% from the field off the bench.
He has already posted three double-doubles in those six appearances. The 3-point shot has been a struggle at 26.1%, and there have still been moments where the effort questions pop up on the floor, but the early returns have been encouraging.
Jakucionis, meanwhile, came to Milwaukee after a rookie season in Miami in which he averaged 6.2 points per game and shot 42.3% from 3. He was a player the Heat did not want to move in the Antetokounmpo deal, but he ended up in Milwaukee anyway. With Kevin Porter Jr. gone, the Bucks have opened up a larger role for the 20-year-old, and he’s handled it well.
Coming off the bench, Jakucionis is playing 22.5 minutes per game and averaging 8.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 4 assists while shooting 45.5% from the field. His 3-point shooting has dipped to 23.5%, but his passing has stood out, especially the way he’s helped set up Ware for easy looks. He has also earned late-game minutes over starter Ryan Rollins at times, a sign that Taylor Jenkins trusts him when the pressure rises.
For a team trying to build forward, keeping two young players who are already seeing meaningful minutes makes plenty of sense. Ware is 22, Jakucionis is 20, and Milwaukee is signaling that both are part of what it wants to become.
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Taylor Jenkins Is Forcing A New Bucks Roster Question
Taylor Jenkins has quickly changed the tone around the Bucks young core, and its showing in the way several prospects are being handled early this season. Kasparas Jakucionis, Kelel Ware, Brayden Burries and Nate Ament have all benefited from a clearer developmental push, with each earning more trust and a bigger role as the season has unfolded.
For Milwaukee, that creates a familiar but important roster question heading toward the trade deadline: how much room should be carved out for the next wave of players? Jenkins has put a premium on development in a way the Bucks have not always done in recent years, and the front office may soon have to decide whether to keep leaning into that approach or make moves that could reshape the rotation. [Read more 🡒]