Tyler Herro doesn’t look like the next Bucks guard to get squeezed out of the starting five.
Milwaukee’s youth movement has already cost Ousmane Dieng and Ryan Rollins their rotation roles, but Herro is in a different lane entirely. He’s producing, he’s expensive, and that combination makes a benching hard to justify. If anything, the Bucks seem far more likely to keep him right where he is at starting shooting guard.
The contrast with Dieng and Rollins is pretty clear. Both players were struggling badly, and both were on smaller contracts, which made the decision easier to swallow. Herro doesn’t fit that profile at all, so the idea that prized youngster Kasparas Jakucionis might be ready to step into a starting role now doesn’t really line up with how Milwaukee is handling things.
Herro has been solid as the Bucks’ top option, averaging 21.9 points, five rebounds, four assists, and 1.1 assists while shooting 45.9 percent from the floor. That’s a very different level of production from what Rollins and Dieng were giving them.
He’s also making $33 million this season, and that salary alone makes a move to the bench a much tougher sell. Sixth men don’t make that kind of money.
So for the moment, Herro remains a central piece of the lineup, even if he is older than some of the other players on the roster.
That doesn’t mean Jakucionis is out of the picture. If the Bucks eventually want him in the starting five, it would likely come later.
Keeping Herro in the lineup now also gives Milwaukee a chance to showcase him if another team comes calling before the NBA Trade Deadline. If that happens, it could create the opening for Jakucionis to move up.
Long term, the Bucks may still want Jakucionis starting. Brayden Burries already looks like part of the future backcourt, and Jakucionis’ passing makes him a natural fit next to him as a true floor general. Together, they could form the kind of backcourt Milwaukee builds around in its next phase.
But that’s a future conversation. Right now, Herro’s spot appears secure.
If anyone looks more vulnerable, it’s Kyle Kuzma. Nate Ament has been playing well, and that may be where the next shake-up comes.
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Even with the missed shots, Jenkins pointed to Burries pace and work on the glass as reasons for encouragement, and those are the kinds of traits that tend to earn more trust quickly in Milwaukee. If the Bucks are serious about leaning into speed and energy, Burries looks like a rookie who may keep finding his way onto the floor as the opportunities grow. [Read more 🡒]
Bucks Pulled Into A Frontcourt Rumor That Could Change Their Plans
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For Milwaukee, the intrigue is obvious because a deal like this would touch both the roster and the books, and the financial side may matter as much as the basketball fit. For Golden State, the appeal is just as clear if the Warriors are serious about upgrading the middle, but for now it remains only a rumor, with no official transaction in place and plenty of room for the conversation to shift before anything gets real. [Read more 🡒]