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Three Players Who Need to Step Up for Bucks After 1-6 Start
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- Three Players Who Need to Step Up for Bucks After 1-6 Start
The Milwaukee Bucks (1-6) are riding a three-game losing streak following their 112-100 defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday.
The Bucks' only win of the campaign — 110-102 against the Indiana Pacers on Oct. 26 — already feels like the distant past.
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Nobody foresaw too many victories in Milwaukee's immediate future after the departure of Giannis Antetokounmpo in the offseason. However, the Bucks' talented young roster suggested they would be a bit more competitive in the first step of their rebuild.
Here are three players who need to step up for them to start visiting the win column more often:
Ryan Rollins
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The trajectory of Rollins' development took an unexpected turn this season.
Coming off a breakout campaign where he averaged career highs in games (74), starts (67), minutes (32.1), field goals made-attempted (6.6-13.9), points per game (17.3), assists per game (5.6), rebounds per game (4.6), and steals per game (1.5) — Rollins' numbers fell off dramatically in the opening seven games of the new term, particularly offensively.
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Rollins is averaging just 11 points per tilt this year, shooting poorly — 34.5 percent from the field and 26.3 percent from beyond the arc. Conversely, those splits read 47.2 percent and 40.6 percent, respectively, in 2025-26.
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As a result, his minutes have decreased (25 per game) as first-year head coach Taylor Jenkins seeks solutions to turn his team's season around.
The 24-year-old is also being challenged by newcomers Kasparas Jakucionis (Miami) and rookie Brayden Burries , meaning his situation could get even worse if he doesn't snap out of his funk.
There is definitely cause for concern with Rollins; however, the Bucks won't give up on him easily because of the potential he showed last year.
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His backcourt pairing with Tyler Herro could still bear fruit, but while Herro is holding up his end of the bargain (leading the team in scoring with 21.9 ppg), Rollins has some things he needs to figure out.
Myles Turner
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The Bucks signing Turner to a four-year, $108.8 million contract in 2025 already raised eyebrows. Since then, he has continued to look like a shadow of the player Milwaukee thought it was getting from the Indiana Pacers.
The 30-year-old big man averaged a career low in rebounds (5.3) last season, and he's notching even fewer to start this year (5.1).
Additionally, he's also scoring a career-low 8 points per game despite still getting over eight attempts. He's shooting 38.6 percent from the field and 25 percent from three.
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The 2.9 blocks per game so far are a plus, but nowhere near the payoff the Bucks were hoping for.
Milwaukee acquired Turner on the back of a campaign where he averaged 15.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2 blocks with the Pacers in 2024-25 — shooting 39.6 percent from deep.
Is there a way back for the 6-foot-11 center? It has been a long time since he looked his best, so that's tough to call. However, he showed signs of life in the Bucks' defeat against Minnesota.
He played 31 minutes, posting 13 points, five rebounds, two assists, and five blocks on 50 percent shooting from the field (3-of-6 3PT).
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A glimmer of hope, perhaps.
Ousmane Dieng
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Dieng's case is of lesser significance than the other two, primarily due to his inexperience in the NBA despite already being 23 and in Year 5. However, the Bucks sure could use a 6-foot-9 mobile forward who can handle, rebound, and score in their frontcourt.
Dieng impressed the Bucks over a 30-game stretch last season, averaging 11 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists to earn himself a three-year, $17.5 million extension this offseason.
He appeared to be a big part of Jenkins' preseason plans, racking up heavy minutes in all his appearances. And Dieng started this campaign in the rotation, playing 21 and 16 minutes in the first two games, respectively, before falling out of favor. He has only played in five of the seven games.
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It's imperative that the former No. 11 overall Draft pick (2022) grabs his chance with both hands the next time his number is called, as there is a role for him to carve out in this new era of Milwaukee basketball.
