Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from preseason win over OKC Thunder

The Milwaukee Bucks’ bench shows legitimate potential in preseason win over OKC Thunder

The Bucks’ starting lineup justifiably commanded most of the attention in Sunday’s win, but the bench also showed some significant upside.

Jordan Nwora shined once again as he tallied a team-high 15 points in 20 minutes, coming off the bench for the first time in the preseason. After three impressive preseason games, it has become hard to argue that Nwora looks like he could be a legitimate contributor for the Bucks this coming season. Although it was toned down against the Thunder due to him playing in the second unit, he has been utterly fantastic thus far. Everyone wanted to see if the second-year man could turn it up a notch in the preseason, and he has done just that with a shot to earn a spot in the rotation.

Joining him with solid performances off the bench against the Thunder were Pat Connaughton and Elijah Bryant. Connaughton was on-brand with 12 points, three rebounds, and three assists in his 17-and-a-half minutes played. Bryant had another solid game with 14 points while hitting four of his five triples in just 15 minutes. After a sluggish two-game start, Tremont Waters came to life by scoring 11 points and handing out two assists. Rookie Sandro Mamukelashvili also delivered some solid play off the bench, showing just how much depth this Milwaukee team currently has.

At this point, the second unit for the Bucks looks to be in good hands. Nwora looks poised to take a leap and carve out a role for himself. Connaughton has developed into the perfect role player on this team, and he will continue to do so moving forward. Mamukelashvili is a rookie, but he looks like he could be a promising piece sooner rather than later. As great as this bench looked last night, they are still waiting for reinforcements. Names such as Bobby Portis, Semi Ojeleye, Rodney Hood, and Donte DiVincenzo are yet to appear in the preseason, while George Hill practically falls in that same category after playing briefly in the opener. This Milwaukee team has fantastic depth.

Be sure to catch the Bucks in action again against the Utah Jazz Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. CST on NBA TV.