Milwaukee Bucks: 3 players to step up with Bobby Portis, Semi Ojeleye out
By Dalton Sell
The Milwaukee Bucks return to regular season action tonight, but they will be without some key reserves as they take on the Brooklyn Nets.
Head coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters on Sunday that both Bobby Portis and Semi Ojeleye will not participate in tonight’s action. Portis has been dealing with a nagging hamstring issue that sidelined him throughout the preseason, and Ojeleye cannot shake a calf strain that sidelined him in the preseason as well. Losing these two will be a massive hit to the second unit, but the Bucks have the personnel to potentially fill the void momentarily. While there is no timetable for either player to return, here are three Bucks that must step up in their absence.
Sandro Mamukelashvili must be prepared to step up for the Milwaukee Bucks following frontcourt injuries
With Portis and Ojeleye sidelined, the Bucks will be lacking size in the second unit. Among every position, the team’s center depth was always viewed as the most prominent issue following their remodeling in the offseason, which is now obviously heightened. The injuries to these two could spark some minutes for rookie big man Sandro Mamukelashvili.
The Bucks selected Mamukelashvili with the 54th pick in the second round of the 2021 NBA Draft, and he has turned some heads early on. The rookie had a solid preseason by averaging 8.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 22.3 minutes per game. Most of Mamukelashvili’s time was likely to come with the Wisconsin Herd, the Bucks’ G-League affiliate, this coming season, but the team obviously now finds themselves in a bind that could force them to play him far earlier than most would have expected.
In the event that he does get playing time, the Bucks will not ask too much of Mamukelashvili, but he does provide the requisite center depth they need. Although it was merely the preseason, the big man showed potential with his scoring and rebounding. While the Bucks would welcome that, the 6-foot-11 rookie will simply give this team a bigger body to throw out on the floor without the 6-foot-10 Portis and 6-foot-6 Ojeleye available. He remains the least likely player on this list to see a significant increase in playing time, but do not rule out seeing him on occasion.