The Milwaukee Bucks’ woeful 2-8 start to the 2024-’25 regular season raised significant questions and handwringing about the team’s roster.
The Bucks had the oldest roster in the NBA a year ago and are still one of the oldest teams. The core players causing concern were Brook Lopez, 36, Damian Lillard, 34, and Khris Middleton, 32, who was out with injury.
The squad needed an injection of energy. Moving Andre Jackson Jr. into the starting lineup and playing AJ Green more helped spark Milwaukee to turn its season around.
While there are a number of factors for the Bucks getting the ship righted, the young guys on the roster who have made their way into the rotation are a big reason for the change.
It isn’t over, either.
Bucks should continue to look for minutes for young players
Ryan Rollins has impressed in his minutes and should get more playing time as the season continues. Doc Rivers must continue to trust the youth infusion.
The Bucks need more speed and shot creation, as the beginning of the season showed. Pat Connaughton was valuable to the Bucks’ 2021 Championship run. Now? His athleticism is zapped. He’s not a good defender and doesn’t knock down shots at a high-enough clip.
Green should and has received all of his minutes when healthy. Rollins and Gary Trent Jr. should get any leftovers.
Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis are no longer big-minute players. The plodding combo would be better used as situational bigs. For example, you can play them against Andre Drummond or teams with multiple paint bigs. However, the Celtics, Knicks and other teams with spread offenses and athletic bigs are destroying them. Lopez is not going to make up for it anymore offensively at this stage.
In all honesty, a trade to bring some youth and energy to the frontcourt at the NBA Trade Deadline would have been nice. Outside Giannis, the Bucks need a reboot to the frontcourt.
Bucks’ youth belongs in the rotation
Andre Jackson Jr.’s injection into the starting lineup is a key part of the Bucks’ success, particularly defensively.
After four clunker defensive performances during their four-game losing streak, the Bucks’ defensive rating has plummeted to 112.6. However, it’s still an improvement from last year’s 115.0 clip. Jackson has been a disruptor and seems to be learning to defend without fouling with more playing time. Adding his defensive tenacity to the starting lineup gives the Bucks a boost.
Jackson Jr. is versatile, can defend multiple positions and has also started to knock down some shots. While his stats won’t wow anyone — 3.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game — his impact has been felt. He is still a raw offensive player, but his defense makes him immensely valuable to the Bucks. He doesn’t take many 3s, but Jackson Jr. is shooting 38.8% from 3.
Jackson Jr. put his defensive chops on display in the Bucks’ NBA Emirates Cup Championship win over the OKC Thunder. Jackson Jr. stifled Shai Gilgrous-Alexander, who finished 8-for-24 shooting.
Green’s shooting a boon for Bucks
AJ Green has become one of the Bucks’ most important role players.
He has turned himself into a two-way wing with improved defense and elite shot-making. Green’s smooth shooting stroke — 43.5 from three and a 63.3 effective-field goal percentage — and ability to play solid defense have made him invaluable to the Bucks and put reserve sharpshooters around Giannis.
When Green and Gary Trent Jr. are shooting well, the Bucks go to another level with the force of Giannis and scoring of Damian Lillard. Also, Green is the top regular rotation player not named Giannis with a +5.2 Net Rating difference when he is on the court vs. off. Net Rating is how many points per 100 possessions better your team is with you on the floor. For context, Giannis is at +9.0.
Rollins states his case for regular minutes
Lastly, Ryan Rollins got a chance for minutes and has made the most of them.
Rollins has been a solid combo guard to round out the rotation. He has stepped in for Delon Wright, who never fit Jon Horst’s offseason aspirations. Wright was signed in free agency as a three-and-D reserve guard, but Rollins quickly took that job from him. Rollins is another young, two-way player who has knocked down shots and plays solid defense.
Rollins is another player who won’t wow anyone stat-wise — scoring just 4.9 points per game — but 37.3% from three, and strong defense is all the Bucks need from him.
He is holding opponents to just 38.2% shooting as the primary defender. With Rollins on the floor, the Bucks have a defensive rating of under 106.3. Also, a look at the best Bucks tandems as far as NET Rating when playing 15 or more games: the Bucks’ young guns are involved in eight of the top nine.
Stick with young players for rotational minutes
Many will talk about defensive changes, better shooting and Lillard playing consistently since the poor start, but the young talent has had as big an impact.
The three Rollins can shoot and make a play, and Green is a sniper. While Rollins hasn’t become firmly entrenched in the rotation like Green and Jackson Jr., he is stating his case with how he’s played. Doc Rivers just needs to trust the young guns and not fall back on veterans taking those minutes.
The young guns have shown they belong, and they are a big reason for the Bucks’ turnaround.
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