Milwaukee’s first look at Taylor Jenkins’ Bucks might already be hiding in plain sight.
The team hasn’t officially named a starting five for Monday night’s preseason opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Jenkins hasn’t locked anything in. In fact, he’s made it clear that early camp is about mixing and matching, with multiple groups getting chances to open games during the preseason.
That makes sense for a roster that’s been turned over and a coaching staff that’s still learning what fits. Jenkins has said more than once that he’s been randomizing groups in practice to see which player combinations work best. For a team that usually has only one starting spot truly in play year after year, this camp feels different.
Still, one group has started to look awfully familiar: Ryan Rollins, Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kyle Kuzma, and Myles Turner.
That was the lineup I guessed on Locked on Bucks this week, and then on Wednesday the Bucks posted a practice photo showing those five in blue jerseys huddled together. That doesn’t mean the job is theirs for Monday, or even for the real opener later this month. Jenkins said players will have to earn everything, and that message fits the team’s push for more accountability after last season’s culture slipped.
But the logic is easy to see. Rollins has a real chance to be the best player on the team this season and looks like a long-term guard piece.
Herro is the most established name on the roster and was always going to be in the mix. Jaquez Jr. and Kuzma are the most proven forwards, at least until Ousmane Dieng pushes one of them out.
Turner, meanwhile, is the veteran anchor.
The one wrinkle that could change the conversation is whether the Bucks want to go double-big with Ware and Turner together. That idea keeps circling back, and the comparison to Miami’s attempt with Ware and Bam Adebayo last season is hard to ignore. That pairing never looked especially comfortable.
Turner gives Milwaukee more spacing than Adebayo did in that setup, but the defensive tradeoff is obvious. Adebayo’s ability to handle perimeter players made that Heat version cleaner on that end, while having either Ware or Turner chase modern power forwards has always felt awkward.
If Rollins, Herro, Jaquez Jr., Kuzma, and Turner do end up as the first unit, the rebounding work becomes the big question. Milwaukee was average on the defensive glass last season, securing 69.5% of available defensive rebounds, but the numbers dropped off badly when Giannis Antetokounmpo wasn’t on the floor.
The most-used lineup with Kuzma at the four last season - Rollins, A.J. Green, Gary Trent Jr., Kuzma, and Turner - grabbed only 66.7% of available defensive rebounds. That’s bottom-of-the-league territory; the Grizzlies were last at 66.3%.
There was at least one encouraging counterexample. The second-most used group, Rollins, Kevin Porter Jr., Green, Kuzma, and Turner, would have ranked first in the league at 73.4% of defensive boards.
So the ingredients are there for a Kuzma-Turner frontcourt to hold up. The question is whether the rest of the lineup can help carry the load.
As for the Bucks’ ownership situation, co-owner Wes Edens gave a direct answer when asked whether he had considered selling his stake in the team to Jimmy Haslam or anyone else: “I haven’t”
For now, that leaves Jenkins still sorting through a lineup that could change again before opening night, or even after it. A trade now or in February could alter the picture. But at least the guessing game is almost over, and the Bucks are finally close to showing these combinations in real games instead of just on paper.
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For Milwaukee, the interest is obvious. Orlando has the kind of length and athleticism that can make life annoying for teams already, and Sweeney is trying to turn that into a clear identity rather than a loose collection of traits. If the Magic buy in quickly, they could become one of the leagues more disruptive defensive groups again, which would matter in a conference where the Bucks are already measuring themselves against every tough out. [Read more 🡒]