While the Milwaukee Bucks have some business to attend to going into the final day of the regular season, newcomer Elijah Bryant is trying to acclimate his new surroundings.
It’s been a whirlwind week for Bryant as he’s arrived to Milwaukee from Israel after ending his two-year stint in Israel with Maccabi Tel Aviv and ahead of the turmoil that is brewing in the Middle East as a whole.
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Of course, all Bucks fans are familiar with Bryant’s exploits dating back to his time playing for Milwaukee’s Summer League team back in July of 2019. He certainly made good on that opportunity by averaging 14.2 points on 18-of-34 shooting from the field (52.9 percent) and 6-for-12 from deep, 4 rebounds and 3.2 assists in his four appearances in Las Vegas.
The same goes for Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer recounted how Bryant made a sizeable impression to the Bucks’ coaches while in Vegas during that time to Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
"“He definitely made a very good impression on all of us,” Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said. “There’s nothing like being the coach of the team and having a good feel, in this case Darvin, for what Elijah did. I think he’s continued to grow and develop ad a player just an opportunity. I think we talk about (general manager) Jon Horst and the front office, they’re always looking for opportunities to make us better.“We just feel like this is another one of ‘em. Keep trying to find good players to add to the roster, add to our core, and Elijah’s done a lot of things well with us and since that summer league. He’s knocking on the door.”"
Elijah Bryant is looking forward to getting better with the Milwaukee Bucks
While it’s highly unlikely that we’ll see Bryant in a Bucks uniform in what remains of their season this year, the 26-year-old is still relishing the opportunity of making the NBA and doing so in Milwaukee no less.
Even with the Bucks on the verge of starting up their playoff run, Bryant will fit right in and continue honing his craft this late into the season to prepare himself of when his time will come.
"While I'm here, I'm trying to be a better basketball player, better person, all that stuff. It's late in the season. They're in a playoff run and I know the reality of the situation, but for me, I'm just going to focus on getting better every single day." - Elijah Bryant
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) May 15, 2021
Meanwhile, more details have emerged on Bryant’s two-year deal that the Georgia native signed with Milwaukee. As ESPN’s Bobby Marks recently detailed, Bryant’s $1.5 million salary for the 2021-22 season is non-guaranteed. If Bryant is on the Bucks’ roster past December 15 later this year, $500,000 of his salary will become guaranteed, which is similar to how Mamadi Diakite’s contract is structured as well.
That’s obviously a very team-friendly deal and setup from the Bucks’ perspective, but they have long been interested in what Bryant can bring to the table throughout his professional career.
Again, we shouldn’t expect Bryant to make his Bucks debut anytime soon, though that could change if the Bucks have nothing to play for ahead of their regular season finale against the Chicago Bulls. But Bryant will certainly look to fight right into what the Bucks have going late into the season and beyond.