3 Preseason Roster Battles On The Milwaukee Bucks

There are very few internal question marks on the Milwaukee Bucks with most of its roster returning from last season. However, they have a couple of questions to answer regarding their depth.

General manager Jon Horst brought back the gang from last year despite falling short to the Boston Celtics in seven games in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Part of that is likely due to the Khris Middleton injury that cost them a real chance to defend their NBA championship. Milwaukee also lacked the resources and realistic avenues to upgrade their team besides bringing back guys the NBA salary cap rules allowed them to pay.

With the Bucks firmly entrenched in the regular season doesn’t matter portion of their championship window, there is a lot less at stake from now until April when the playoffs begin. However, a few questions will need to be answered starting in the preseason that could determine how the postseason goes.

Backup point guard

This was a point of contention for Bucks’ fans last year. Jevon Carter was a late-season signing after the Brooklyn Nets waived him to create room for Goran Dragic. Best described as a defensive-minded bulldog, Carter played extremely well for the Bucks and did enough on the court to earn a solid spot in the rotation with George Hill out with an injury.

When Hill returned in the second round of the playoffs, many fans thought Carter would continue to get the run as the backup point guard. However, Mike Budenholzer had other plans and immediately inserted Hill back into the role, sending Carter to the bench. Hill was awful, but never relinquished his spot as the backup point guard in the postseason.

With both Hill and Carter returning, it’s a battle worth watching. Jrue Holiday is obviously locked in as the starter, but Budenholzer will keep his minutes as low as possible. There might be time for Carter and Hill to split the role, but a winner will have to emerge eventually.

Fourth big man

When the games really matter, the Bucks will only roll with three big men in their rotation, and those spots are already decided (See: Brook Lopez, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Bobby Portis). However, there’s probably a spot in the regular season rotation to keep everyone fresh for a fourth big man.

Serge Ibaka was surprisingly brought back after receiving very little playing time following a midseason trade. It sounds like Antetokounmpo had something to do with his recruitment to return, which gives credence to the idea that he is in the lead for that fourth big spot.

Don’t sleep on Sandro Mamukelashvili. Mamukelashvili had a strong summer league run and followed that up with a solid showing in Euro Basket as well. He doesn’t have nearly the NBA experience Ibaka does, but he brings something a little different to the Bucks’ frontcourt. He can handle the rock a bit, shoot some and create for others. It will be fun to see his continued development this season.

The Bucks will hardly need a fourth big man if everything goes to plan.However, Lopez had a significant back injury last year that cost him most of the season and is 34-years-old. Antetokounmpo spent a lot of the summer playing for Greece and will need to take it easy to begin the year. And we all know how conservative Budenholzer is with playing time in the regular season.

Starting small forward with Khris Middleton out

It’s not clear when Khris Middleton will return, but he’ll surely miss the season-opener.Milwaukee will need to figure out a start in his absence and the candidates appear to be Pat Connaughton, Wesley Matthews, Jordan Nwora and MarJon Beauchamp.

For what it’s worth, Nwora got the start in the Bucks’ first preseason game alongside Jrue Holiday, Grayson Allen, Portis and Lopez. Nwora is a shoot first, ask questions later type player that has no issue putting the ball in the court. He does have major work to do on the defensive end of the court if he wants to earn consistent playing time under Budenholzer.

Connaughton is, perhaps, the favorite to land the starting gig. He is the best fit among the Bucks’ starters and has been a consistent part of the rotation for longer than any of the options. The biggest hurdle could be Budenholzer’s willingness to keep him in his comfortable role off the bench.

Beauchamp is an exciting rookie, but appears a couple of years away from being able to positively contribute on a championship-contending team. He’ll likely have some positive moments this year, but he is far too raw. Matthews is another viable option depending on which direction Budenholzer wants to take his team at the beginning of the season. He knows what Matthews can do and likely wants to keep him fresh for another long postseason run. That could open the door for a young player to prove his worth.