Milwaukee Bucks: Thinned frontcourt should spark Mamadi Diakite minutes

The Milwaukee Bucks have hardly relied on rookie Mamadi Diakite this season to any extent, but that should change with the newfound circumstances of their roster.

Diakite, Milwaukee’s two-way rookie, has only made three appearances with the team this season for a total of 17 minutes. Instead, he had spent most of his time in the NBA’s G League bubble, where he showed significant promise of what he is capable of bringing to the table.

Mamadi Diakite would give a boost to the Milwaukee Bucks’ thinned frontcourt.

The Bucks found themselves in an inconvenient predicament last night with two rotational players missing. Newly acquired P.J. Tucker was listed as out on the injury report before last night’s matchup against the Celtics with a calf strain, which meant more minutes for Bobby Portis.

However, Portis was soon ruled out just before the game also as he was forced to enter the league’s health and safety protocols. That certainly mirrors what happened to starting point guard Jrue Holiday earlier this year, where he got pulled out of the lineup just before tip due to what was eventually confirmed a positive test. While the certainties surrounding Portis are still unknown, Holiday was sidelined for 10 games after entering the protocols, for reference.

With both Tucker and Portis sidelined for this one, the Bucks were left without their leading scorer off the bench and one of their best defenders in the second unit. This seemed like it could allow the 24-year-old Diakite to shine, but things did not pan out that way. Budenholzer deferred to Pat Connaughton and Thanasis Antetokounmpo to soak up a bulk of the minutes in the frontcourt against Boston, and the results were certainly not the greatest.

Bud: "Connaughton is kind of a smallball 4 and that's been good for us, so maybe we lean into that a little bit more. Thanasis has been great for us off the bench. Mamadi, we're excited about his future and what he can do, so we'll figure out how to get through the game."
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) March 26, 2021

Diakite saw nearly seven and a half minutes of action during mop-up duty, but it was once again a small sample size to get a genuine assessment of his play. If Tucker and Portis will remain out of the lineup for an extended period of time moving forward, Diakite deserves the opportunity for more minutes. He provides the Bucks with a more traditional option at the center or power forward position than Pat Connaughton or Thanasis Antetokounmpo can, which is something they need.

Furthermore, the Virgina product is yet to receive a genuine opportunity with the team, and if fellow rookie Sam Merrill’s performance last night says anything, it is that the young guys can also contribute. Seeing an extended opportunity with several players out of the lineup, Merrill played a season-high 20 minutes, scoring 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-5 from deep.

Merrill will likely earn himself more minutes in the rotation following that performance, and hopefully, Diakite gets the opportunity to do the same. Following his impressive stint with the Magic in the G Leauge, the undrafted rookie appears like he could be a hidden gem for the Bucks, but his potential remains stuck sitting on the bench most nights.

While there are no timetables for the return of Portis or Tucker, Milwaukee’s rookie big man deserves a shot to fill the void in their absence.