Milwaukee Bucks: 3 players whose playing time could regress versus Heat

There will be no shortage of storylines stemming from last season’s matchup to this year’s first round series between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Miami Heat.

Among those that will be placed under a microscope this time around will be the minutes distribution given between players from head coach Mike Budenholzer. The coach received a hefty load of criticism following Milwaukee’s postseason debacle last season regarding how he questionably handled his rotations, and rightfully so.

More from Bucks News

• Bucks 2023-24 player profile: Can MarJon Beauchamp take a leap?
• Piecing together the Milwaukee Bucks’ dream starting 5 in 5 years
• Predicting Thanasis Antetokounmpo’s 2023-24 stats for the Bucks
• Grade the trade: Bucks land reputable backup guard in swap with Pacers
• New workout video should have Milwaukee Bucks fans excited

That criticism was primarily directed toward Budenhozler based on how he distributed minutes between his star players. Many argued that he went too deep into his bench and relied less on guys like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, which proved flawed.

This time around, it seems clear that Budenholzer will player his top players more minutes in the big game if he has indeed learned from his previous mistakes.

Still, that begs the question of how he will handle playing time with his second unit, which is arguably the most talented Budenholzer has had at his disposal throughout his three-year stay in Milwaukee. This bench is stacked with talent from top to bottom and several typical rotation pieces could see their minutes regress or cut from the playoff rotation entirely depending on the situation.

With that being said, here are three players that could fall victim to a lesser role in the rotation against the Heat.

Thanasis Antetokounmpo will see his minutes cut for the Milwaukee Bucks against the Heat

One of the biggest surprises for the Bucks this season has been the highly intense play of Thanasis Antetokounmpo.

The forward has not averaged gaudy numbers, but he has made himself a fan-favorite in Milwaukee by bringing an immeasurable boost of energy off the bench. Antetokounmpo can often be found diving for loose balls, playing tenacious defense, or throwing down a thunderous dunk on occasion to provide this team with some much-needed life.

Unfortunately, it appears that Antetokounmpo will be sidelined for the series against Miami as he is slated to miss two weeks after suffering an avulsion fracture to his right patella tendon. The forward suffered the injury during Milwaukee’s regular season finale against the Chicago Bulls this past Sunday.

Still, Antetokounmpo’s role in this series was in question even before the injury. The forward had popped up briefly varying from game to game this year depending on the circumstance but logged just under two minutes in Milwaukee’s final regular season matchup against Miami just last week.

It is now relatively clear that he will likely be stuck to the sidelines and provide his widespread energetic presence from the bench. Perhaps the forward could see some minutes down the road when the team needs a spark depending on how far the Bucks advance, but we wish Thanasis a speedy recovery in the meantime.