3 Milwaukee Bucks Who Need To Step Up With Wing Injuries

The Milwaukee Bucks’ wing depth is thinning faster than your hair.

It began before it even began with the signing of Joe Ingles in free agency. Ingles tore his ACL on January 30th against the Minnesota Timberwolves and had reconstruction surgery on February 23rd. That places his recovery timeline sometime around January of 2023.

Khris Middleton was the next Buck who went down. He battled a left wrist injury since around the All-Star break and finally had surgery on it in July. He could not preform basketball-related activities until last week and is set to return “early in the season.”

Pat Connaughton is the latest wing to fall victim to the injury bug. He suffered a calf injury which caused him to miss the final two preseason games and the team’s annual scrimmage. Milwaukee recently announced he’ll miss the next three weeks, so he’ll be out for about nine games.

That leaves a void on the wing with Milwaukee’s top three players out for at least the foreseeable future. Head coach Mike Budenholzer has a few young guys he could use at the position, but expect him to take a different route as his first option.

MarJon Beauchamp/Jordan Nwora

These two are the obvious option at the position. Beauchamp was selected with the 24th pick in this year’s draft and could be a long-term solution on the wing. However, he has a lot of work to do until he gets to that point.

Beauchamp looked like a raw talent in Summer League and the preseason. He’s full of exuberance, swagger and hustle—three traits that will help him sustain a long career in the NBA. It’s the basic skills he’s lacking at this point. He often looks lost on defense despite having the physical traits to succeed on that end of the court. Offensively, he’s even worse. He projects as a floor-spacer from the three-point line. The only problem is he’s wildly inconsistent and only made three of his 16 (18.8 percent) preseason attempts. Maybe some regular season playing time will help?

Nwora is the more likely answer. He’s much more polished offensively and can get his own shot even when it hurts his team. His offensive game would be a nice boost if he can play within the constraints of the system (AKA get Giannis Antetokounmpo the ball). Defense is where he needs the most work. There were times in the preseason when he was too busy admiring his shot to get back on defense. This type of middle-school mistake won’t cut it.

Jevon Carter

Budenholzer may have accidentally revealed his starting lineup in the scrimmage when he commented about his starting unit. That group included Jrue Holiday, Grayson Allen, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez…..and Jevon Carter.

Carter carried last year’s excellent play into the preseason, where he knocked down threes like a madman (12-for-23 for 52.2 percent). That offensive boon comes in addition to his bulldog defense, not in replace of. It also helps that he understands his role and doesn’t try to do too much. Budenholzer used two guard lineups in the past and could go back to it with Ingles, Middleton, and Connaughton sidelined. Of course, it helps when you have guards like Carter and Jrue Holiday who will defend their butts off.

Bobby Portis

At the Bucks’ media day, Portis talked about the Boston Celtics’ playoff series and how it shaped his approach this offseason. He struggled mightily in that series, as he was forced up the Bucks’ totem pole due to the Middleton injury. His inability to create efficient scoring hurt Milwaukee’s chances. It ultimately was part of what led to their seven-game demise.

We’ll see what Portis has been doing in the lab this summer. With Middleton sidelined again, he’ll get to immediately showcase the hard work he’s put in. Behind Antetokounmpo and Holiday, Portis is perhaps the most equipped Buck to create his own shot. That means a diet of pick-and-pop threes, post-ups and maybe even some creation off the dribble.

Watching how Budenholzer balances his rotation early in the season will be interesting. Will he ensure at least one of Antetokounmpo, Holiday or Portis is on the court at all times? How will he provide those bench lineups with enough scoring punch to keep Milwaukee in games? Who will step up to help the Bucks bridge the gap? Portis might be the answer to all of those questions.