Cormac Ryan’s first real taste of NBA run gave the Milwaukee Bucks a rare bright spot in a rough season, but the path to more of it is crowded now.
Ryan flashed in a way that was impossible to ignore. Over 11 games with Milwaukee, he averaged 14.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and a steal while shooting 52 percent from the field.
For a player who was 27 as a rookie, that kind of immediate production stood out. He looked like someone who could matter.
The problem is the Bucks have stacked the backcourt to the point where opportunity is going to be hard to find. Ryan Rollins, AJ Green, Kevin Porter Jr. and Gary Trent Jr. are all back, and Milwaukee has also brought in Tyler Herro, Kasparas Jakucionis, Brayden Burries and Caris LeVert this offseason. That kind of depth makes life difficult for standard contract players and even tougher for two-way guys like Kam Jones and Cormac Ryan.
There’s even a chance Milwaukee moves one or two guards before the season starts, but that still wouldn’t push Ryan near the top of the pecking order. Right now, he looks more like a player waiting for a crack than one guaranteed to get one.
What made Ryan so interesting in the first place was the shot. He hit 45.8 percent of his 3s last season, which gave Milwaukee a real floor-spacer and hinted at a skill set that could translate. That’s why his brief breakout carried real weight.
For now, though, the follow-up looks on hold. Ryan may eventually find his way into the mix, but at the moment he’s likely headed for a waiting game as a depth option. The Bucks at least know they have someone sitting there who already showed he can produce when called on.
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Bucks May Have Finally Found Their Middleton Replacement
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Jaquezs case is rooted in what he already showed last season, when he averaged 15.4 points, five rebounds and 4.7 assists off the bench. For Milwaukee, that kind of production matters because it suggests he can do more than just occupy a role, and there is already a path for him to push toward the starting small forward job. The real question now is how quickly he can translate that bench success into a larger responsibility and whether the Bucks will decide he is the best fit to help fill a vacancy they have been trying to solve for quite some time. [Read more 🡒]