The Milwaukee Bucks moved to 1-5 on the season after another big loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers with the final score being 136-111. In that game, a few familiar names who've struggled early in the year, once again had a rough time on Saturday night.
Ryan Rollins has had a rough start to the season , and it continued after he finished the game with nine points while shooting 4-for-11 (36.3%) from the field and 1-for-5 (20%) from the 3-point line. Myles Turner only posted 10 points on 4-for-10 (40%) shooting from the field and 1-for-4 (25%) from the 3-point line.
To be fair majority of the team had a rough night, but for two guys who the Bucks expected to play pivotal roles this season, they both have been disappointing to start the year with low numbers and poor efficiency. However, in that same game the younger players who were able to see the floor because of the blowout, they stood out.
Both Brayden Burries and Nate Ament recorded career-highs in the loss and finished the game with 14 points. Ament shot 6-for-8 (75%) from the field and 2-for-3 (66.7%) from the 3-point line while Burries shot 4-for-7 (57.15) from the field. The two have looked more and more comfortable in each game and have appeared to find their footing.
After the loss on Saturday, head coach Taylor Jenkins mentioned that it's been hard to find a consistent lineup for the rookies to play, but he's open-minded to changes after a big second quarter from Cleveland.
Two other players in Kel'el Ware and Kasparas Jakuionis have looked productive this season coming off the bench with Ware recording his third double-double in six games.
It's still early, but after a 1-5 start, Jenkins has to recognize and consider a possible change in rotation or minutes between the young guys who've shown early that they can be productive and the veterans who haven't started the way they wanted to. Is it time to lean towards the younger guys already?
Even though it's early, it's clear that the direction they are heading towards isn't the best and there's a possibility that things go from bad to worse. AJ Green, Rollins and Turner have looked underwhelming to start the season, but Burries, Jakuionis, Ament and Ware have been productive in their time
With the way the season's trajectory is already heading, I think it's something to consider not only to try to turn things around, but also for the team's future development. Something has to change especially when you start the season 1-5, so rearranging minutes to get the younger players more time on the court is worth considering.
When there are guys like Rollins, Turner and Green who haven't been producing with more minutes compared to Burries, Jakuionis, Ament and Ware, there should be an attempt to get the younger group of players more playing time to potentially build towards the future.
Although it is way too early into the season to be making drastic changes, the 1-5 record should be a sign of things to come for the Bucks. With some of the more experienced players struggling early on, Taylor Jenkins needs to lean on his younger core more often than he has.
A decrease in minutes for Ryan Rollins, AJ Green and Myles Turner for Brayden Burries, Nate Ament and Kel'el Ware would make a lot of sense here. Ware is the third leading scorer off the bench and the team's best rebounder. Ament is shooting approximately 46% from the field and 44% from three-point range. Burries is a terrific transition player with his elite speed and ability to throw down over the outstretched arms of a defender.
These three players are the future of the roster, and prioritizing them over the veterans who have been underwhelming should be the bigger-picture goal. Wins don't appear to be coming often this season, but more opportunities for player development will lead to success in the long run.
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It's hardly a surprise that the Bucks have started slow -- but wins aren't really the point of this season, even if Milwaukee can't cash in on rebuilding season in the form of a high pick.
The objective should be for the young players to grow, but that doesn't necessarily mean playing them all together without any of the veterans or even the young veterans. That tends to lead to worse habits. The goal should be to increase the minutes of the kids some as the season progresses, and then give them more opportunities in clutch situations, if those exist.
So don't shelve Tyler Herro yet; he at least gives Milwaukee some scoring to keep games reasonably close. But every minute that you can play Kel'el Ware or Nate Ament and even Ousmane Dieng instead of Myles Turner or Kyle Kuzma, you probably should.
And in the backcourt, it's good that the Bucks aren't forcing Gary Trent Jr. minutes (even with the league looking in after he signed that outsized contract). But it makes sense to scale back Ryan Rollins also, especially if he's not effective. More Kasparas Jakucionis and more Brayden Burries; and maybe some starts together, on the nights Herro inevitably misses.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/bucks/onsi as It may already be time for the Bucks to go young .
