Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from 129-115 loss to Utah Jazz
By Dalton Sell
3 takeaways from loss to Utah Jazz — Milwaukee Bucks had the worse sixth man Friday night
Bench issues have been a staple in the list of growing weak points for the Bucks this season, largely due to D.J. Augustin. The Bucks inked the veteran sixth man to a hefty deal over the offseason, and he has not lived up to expectations in the slightest.
Friday night against the Jazz, Augustin did make an impression on the scoreboard with 12 points, but it was the ugliest dozen that he has ever scored. The guard did a bulk of his work at the free throw line, where he connected on seven of his nine attempts. Elsewhere, he shot just 2-of-7 from the floor, including 1-of-4 from deep. Augustin’s contributions have been hard to come by this season, and given the high hopes this team had for him, he has been a disappointment.
Particularly with Holiday sidelined, the Bucks depended more heavily on Augustin to run the point, but he clocked in another lackluster performance in his near 30 minutes of playing time. Whatever the reason, the veteran has not been able to find his footing with the Bucks, which has undoubtedly hindered their success.
These struggles have particularly been enhanced because of Augustin’s reputation as a liability on the defensive end. When the shots are not falling, there is very little that he brings to the table.
On the other hand, Utah’s sixth man, Jordan Clarkson, torched Milwaukee on the offensive end, as he oftentimes does when they meet. The far-too-early frontrunner for Sixth Man of the Year honors had himself a night to remember with 25 points on 10-of-18 shooting, along with five assists and four rebounds in his 30 minutes of action. Clarkson was clearly the superior sixth man, which has been a recurring theme for Milwaukee’s opponents this year.