The Milwaukee Bucks are still searching for rhythm on offense, and the numbers make that plain. They sit dead last in passes per game at 248.6, a rough sign for a team trying to settle into a new look. Kevin Porter Jr.’s recent exit may be part of the reason, but Kasparas Jakucionis has stepped into the opening and given Milwaukee something it badly needs: clean, confident passing.
Before he was waived, Porter was the Bucks’ most seasoned point guard and a central part of what they did last season. He led the team with 58.7 passes per game, well ahead of Ryan Rollins at 51.1. With him gone, the early going has featured less movement and less flow, and the passing game has clearly taken a hit.
That’s where Jakucionis has come in. Milwaukee moved on from Porter in part to force its young guards into bigger roles, and the lone pure point guard on the roster has answered that challenge. He leads the Bucks with 35.2 passes per game and ranks third on the team in assists per game.
Jakucionis is averaging 4.2 assists, a sharp jump from the 2.6 he posted during his regular season. He’s finding AJ Green for 3-pointers, dropping lobs to Kel’el Ware at the rim, and generally looking far more polished than someone in just his second season. He can’t fix the whole passing problem by himself, but he’s doing his share.
His vision was one of the reasons he was a key part of the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade. After showing flashes with the Heat as a rookie, he’s been given even more room to operate in Milwaukee. Kel’el Ware may eventually have a case of his own, but Jakucionis is arguably the most intriguing upside piece in the deal.
The next step is the jumper. Jakucionis shot 42.3 percent from deep last year, but that number has fallen to 23.1 percent this season.
It’s still early, and there’s time for him to settle in. If the shot comes around to match the passing, he could become one of the league’s best reserves.
In Other News...
Bucks Suddenly Face A Tough Jaime Jaquez Jr Decision
Jaime Jaquez Jr. has quietly become one of the more interesting names in the Bucks orbit, and not just because of what he has done on the floor. His production and team-friendly contract make him the kind of player front offices like to keep around, which is exactly why any talk of moving him has to be weighed carefully. For Milwaukee, the appeal is obvious: he is useful now and still has room to grow, a combination that usually makes a player harder to pry loose than his profile might suggest.
Still, the speculation keeps circling because Oklahoma City has the kind of assets and roster flexibility that can turn a theoretical deal into a real conversation. The Thunder need help on the perimeter after injuries thinned that part of the roster, and they also have the draft-pick stockpile to chase a player like Jaquez if they decide he is worth the push. For the Bucks, the question is whether a strong young contributor is the sort of piece they can afford to discuss at all, even in a deal that remains firmly in the realm of analysis for now. [Read more 🡒]
Bucks Suddenly Put Cleveland In A Spot It Can't Afford To Blow
The first Central Division meeting of the season arrives with Milwaukee still trying to settle into life after the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade to Miami, and the Bucks have not exactly looked like a team ready to make things easy on anyone. Even in a rebuilding phase, they still have enough recognizable pieces to make this a useful measuring stick for Cleveland, especially with Tyler Herro and Jaime Jaquez Jr. giving Milwaukee a different kind of perimeter punch than the Bucks have featured in recent years.
For the Cavaliers, this is the sort of game that can quietly matter later, because it is the kind of matchup contenders are supposed to handle while also using the night to keep developing depth in the rotation. Milwaukees early-season struggles open the door, but they also make the Bucks dangerous in a different way, since a team searching for traction can be unpredictable. Cleveland gets the chance to bank a division win and keep building momentum, but it cannot afford to treat this one like a routine stop. [Read more 🡒]
Tyler Herro Is Giving Bucks Fans One Real Reason For Hope
Through the Bucks first five games, Tyler Herro has been one of the clearest bright spots in an otherwise rough start. He has given Milwaukee a steady scoring punch, filling up the box score with points, rebounds and assists while also knocking down threes at a sharp clip, the kind of production that can keep an offense afloat even when the results are not there yet.
What stands out even more is how efficiently Herro has done it, especially as a pull-up shooter. Among high-volume players taking those shots, he has been the NBAs most efficient, and that matters for a Bucks team still searching for rhythm and answers after opening the year 1-4. Even in a small sample, his play has offered a real reason for optimism, and a reminder that Milwaukee may already have one dependable weapon it can build around. [Read more 🡒]