Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways from Summer League loss to Brooklyn Nets
By Dalton Sell
Although they fought until the very end, the Milwaukee Bucks fell just short of making a comeback in their second Summer League game.
The Brooklyn Nets would triumph over the Bucks with a 97-91 victory backed by 22 points from rookie Cam Thomas. After claiming a 2-0 lead to kick things off Wednesday afternoon, the Bucks never managed to reclaim the lead, despite cutting it close on several occasions before the final buzzer went off.
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This loss now puts Milwaukee at 1-1 in the early going in the Summer League as they managed to secure an 81-78 victory in their opener against the LA Clippers on Monday.
Much like that performance, this game had several standout performances from players that caught the attention of many onlookers. With that being said, here are three takeaways from Milwaukee’s loss to Brooklyn yesterday afternoon.
Georgios Kalaitzakis shows potential in Summer League debut with the Milwaukee Bucks
After not appearing in the team’s win over the Clippers, Georgios Kalaitzakis made his Bucks debut in yesterday’s action versus the Nets.
Although he looked somewhat skittish at first, which is entirely understandable, Kalaitzakis would find a groove as the game progressed. Playing just over 19 minutes, the 22-year-old would finish with 12 points on 3-of-5 shooting from the floor. He would get a friendly whistle and head to the free throw line for seven attempts, connecting on six of them to add to his point total. Also tallying three assists, it was a welcoming sight to see him get his teammates involved.
On the downside, Kalaitzakis had four turnovers and four personal fouls each. No one expected the guard to be perfect in his debut, of course. Aside from his turnovers and fouls, there is not too much to dislike about the debut from the 60th overall selection in the 2021 NBA Draft. This game came on the same day that The Athletic’s Eric Nehm revealed that Kalaitzakis’ contract with the Bucks will be a three-year deal, with Milwaukee even dipping into their mid-level extension to get him for three years.
That is certainly an interesting decision, but time will tell how it plays out. Kalaitzakis gave the Bucks a solid showing off the bench yesterday, and he will be under surveillance as the team’s Summer League games continue taking place in the near future. No one likes to judge a player based on one performance, but Kalaitzakis made a strong first impression.