The Milwaukee Bucks have certainly been busy this Friday after making some newsworthy moves ahead of their preseason finale tonight.
The most significant was handing general manager Jon Horst a contract extension, something he rightfully deserved after masterfully crafting the championship roster and improving over the past few months. Horst will continue to pull the strings when it comes to decision-making, and he was active early as he added another fresh face to the training camp roster Friday morning.
First reported by Spotrac’s Keith Smith, the Bucks have signed Jalen Lecque to a camp deal ahead of Friday’s matchup with the Dallas Mavericks. This signing should not be surprising as the Bucks are on the record having previously attended a workout for the guard, and it seems like they saw something they liked.
What does Jalen Lecque bring to the table for the Milwaukee Bucks ahead of the 2021-22 NBA season?
First and foremost, Lecque will likely not make the final roster. We have seen the Bucks make a handful of signings recently with players like Jemerrio Jones and Rayjon Tucker, only to waive them shortly after. Both Tucker Jones and Tucker will be suiting up for the Bucks’ G-League team, the Wisconsin Herd, in all likelihood this coming season, and this deal would indicate that Lecque could be joining them in no time. It makes sense as the Herd are looking to assemble a team after a year off due to the pandemic, but what does Lecque hypothetically provide?
Unlike Jones and Tucker, Lecque is not a former member of the Herd, so there will be unfamiliarity in that regard. The combo guard has played just nine NBA games over the past two seasons with the Phoenix Suns and Indiana Pacers, averaging a mere 1.7 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in 4.9 minutes per contest. Numbers like that certainly do not jump off the page, but Lecque has had a solid career in the G-League by averaging 13.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 47 games over the past two years. As the Herd will be without Frank Mason III and Jaylen Adams, who were first and second in G-League MVP voting a few years back, adding a guard like Lecque to fill the void is a reasonable move.
At 21-years-old, Lecque still has some potential waiting to be unearthed. While his time has been scarce at the NBA level, he has shown promise in the G-League. Playing with the Herd would allow him to continue working his way up the chain and potentially earn himself a spot on a roster at a point down the road. This is a low-risk move for the Bucks, and only time will tell how things pan out. Lecque would be a solid fit for the young Herd, but it remains to be seen if that is the way this will ultimately go down or if the team has something else in store. Be sure to stay tuned for the latest updates on Lecque and other signings.
In the meantime, welcome to Milwaukee, Jalen!