What was supposed to be a real strength for the Bucks has turned into a problem area fast, and the center rotation is the clearest place where that slide shows up.
Nine games into the season, Milwaukee’s five spot looks shaky. The early idea was straightforward enough: Myles Turner as the veteran anchor, Kel’el Ware as the promising young piece, and Jericho Sims as a useful third option who could bring a different style. Instead, the group has gone from intriguing to messy.
Turner’s rough start hit a low point against the Toronto Raptors, when he finished with zero points on seven field goal attempts. Toronto piled up 58 points in the paint and shot 8-of-14, or 57.1 percent, when Turner was the primary defender. Jakob Poeltl also had his way, going 4-of-5, an 80 percent clip, against Milwaukee’s big man.
That kind of night stands out even more because the Bucks made a major commitment to bring Turner in, signing him to a four-year, $108 million deal. So far, though, he’s putting up career lows in points, field goal percentage and 3-point percentage.
The defense has still held up better than the offense. Turner is averaging 2.7 blocks per game, and opponents are shooting 40.4 percent from the field against him. Even with that, it’s getting harder to ignore how much his offensive struggles are dragging down his case to stay in the starting group.
Ware has offered a different kind of hope off the bench. He’s averaging 9.6 points and 7.7 rebounds, which puts him close to a double-double.
The inconsistency is real - he’s shooting just 20 percent from 3-point range after hitting 39.5 percent last season - but the upside keeps flashing. He has three double-doubles, including two games with 19 points and another with 16, and that kind of production makes a stronger case for giving him the starting job.
Sims, meanwhile, has been waiting for his chance and hasn’t scored a basket in 32 minutes. He brings energy and can run to the rim for lobs, but he’s not the kind of player who will light up a box score. Even so, in a small sample, he’s the only Bucks player with a positive plus-minus.
The bigger issue is what Milwaukee can actually do about it. Turner’s contract is not easy to move, especially with his play where it is right now. Deals like this were made to help preserve the Giannis Antetokounmpo era, but they can also box a team in when things don’t click.
That leaves the Bucks staring at a real decision. Ware is raw, but he’s the one with the clearest growth path, and there’s a case for letting him start so he can settle into his new home and learn on the fly. Young players are going to make mistakes; the point is to let them make them while they’re actually on the floor.
It’s a difficult spot for Taylor Jenkins, because the center rotation looked solid on paper. Right now, it isn’t.
Turner is struggling and hurting his own trade value. Ware is uneven.
Sims brings effort, but not much scoring. What looked like a strength has become a weakness, and Milwaukee has to sort it out.
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