Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from thrilling 127-104 win vs Brooklyn Nets

Pat Connaughton and Jordan Nwora provide a massive lift off the bench for the Milwaukee Bucks

Sticking with the bench, Pat Connaughton and Jordan Nwora took it upon themselves to step up and contribute for the shorthanded Bucks.

Connaughton was fantastic from start to finish, having tallied an impressive 20 points across his 30 minutes of game action. He was incredibly efficient with his shooting, going 8-of-13 from the floor and 4-of-9 from behind the arc. Connaughton truly came to life as a shooter in last year’s playoffs, and it looks like he is keeping the hot hand heading into the new season. When he was not letting it fly, some of his finishes close to the basket were jaw-dropping, having shown off his versatility on the offensive end. Connaughton would also total three rebounds, two assists, and a steal and a block apiece.

As for Nwora, the sophomore had an impressive showing in the preseason, and it was clear that the team would look to get him involved in the rotation early. Well, Nwora might have played a bit more than most would have expected, as the forward saw 26-and-a-half minutes. It was hard to take him out as he provided a scoring punch off the bench alongside Connaughton by chipping in 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-6 from deep. There were times where Nwora did look somewhat lost, especially defensively, but those growing pains are bound to happen. Rather than those, fans can focus on his buzzer-beater to close the third quarter or his clutch triple in the minutes that followed.

Fans should expect big things from this tandem this season, especially with the bench being as depleted as it is right now. Connaughton has proven to be the perfect veteran for the second unit, while Nwora is still looking to solidify his role, and he got off to a great start last night.