Beyond giving Brayden Burries his first NBA start, Taylor Jenkins also made the bold move of playing Jericho Sims during the Milwaukee Bucks ' 112-100 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday evening. Sims last suited up in the team's opening loss to the Washington Wizards.
Sims replaced Kyle Kuzma as the Bucks trailed 25-16 with less than four minutes left in the first quarter, and the 28-year-old center provided quality minutes on defense, as the Timberwolves scored only four points before he was subbed out.
Oct 11, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Jericho Sims (00) dribbles the ball during the third quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images
Jericho Sims played only 15 minutes for the Milwaukee Bucks yesterday. The Texas product had only two rebounds and one assist and didn't shoot at all, but head coach Taylor Jenkins called him a difference-maker.
"He brought great energy, great life," Jenkins said of Sims. "He's constantly staying ready. Love how he's been approaching day-to-day, the play groups, just game plan discipline. We worked on that this morning. He had a great session this morning. Obviously, at a moment's notice, he got called into action. I liked how he was switching, controlling the ball, even though the stat line – he wasn't scoring – it was all the ancillary things he was doing that gave us a spark and allowed us to continue to keep that game within striking distance in the first half."
Nov 2, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Bones Hyland (8) works around Milwaukee Bucks center Jericho Sims (00) in the first quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images
Jericho Sims is relishing his role as an energy player off the bench for the Milwaukee Bucks, as he prides himself on being one of the team's defensive anchors. The former No. 58 pick said he's all about making the winning plays.
"The group that I was in with felt great. I feel like we were really active in our loads and our shifts and really helping off the ball. It's always good when I can switch, especially. The big part of tonight was before the game, in our pregame, we were talking about getting 'kills' (defensive stops) and trying to get three in a row. Maybe that didn't work out all the time, but just having the mentality to try to get multiple stops in a row helped us," Sims told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
