Milwaukee Bucks: This early stretch could determine Jordan Nwora’s role

Shortly into the 2021-22 NBA season, the Milwaukee Bucks have already been ravaged by many injuries to their roster.

During their regular season opener against the Brooklyn Nets, they were without four key pieces in the second unit, including Bobby Portis, Semi Ojeleye, Rodney Hood, and Donte DiVincenzo. The Bucks would also lose starting point guard Jrue Holiday midway through the contest after he had a heel contusion end his night early. These injuries forced head coach Mike Budenholzer to dig deep into his bench, dishing out minutes to several players that typically might not see extended action, especially against another Eastern Conference juggernaut like Brooklyn.

One Buck that saw a larger opportunity under these circumstances was sophomore forward Jordan Nwora, who played 26-and-a-half minutes. He took advantage and put on a show on national television by scoring 15 points and hauling in six rebounds. Nwora provided a massive boost off the bench offensively, notably with a buzzer-beater to end the third and a clutch triple early into the fourth quarter. Nwora’s role in the rotation has been a hot topic all offseason, and this game certainly boosted his stock in that department. Due to the injuries, he will continue to see more and more meaningful minutes moving forward.

Jordan Nwora will likely see a prominent role for the Milwaukee Bucks as they deal with an assortment of injuries

Without Portis, the Bucks are missing an automatic double-figure scorer off their bench. Although the jury is still out on Hood and whether he can return to his pre-injury form as a lethal scorer, he is also someone that could chip in a significant amount of points nightly. As these two remain on the sideline, Nwora will be the player the Bucks will count on to provide a spark offensively off the bench. Pat Connaughton, who also had a great game against the Nets, will help him, but he is already established in the rotation. Meanwhile, Nwora is looking to cement his place for the Bucks, and this early stretch will help him do just that if he can contribute at a high level.

Everyone knows Nwora can score the basketball, this is the player that averaged 17.8 points over five preseason games, after all. He gives Milwaukee a reliable threat out on the perimeter, and he must knock down those shots consistently moving forward. That has been an issue for him in the past, as he can be scorching hot one night and ice cold the next. With a prominent role right now, he must find that balance, and he got off to a great start Tuesday. If he can keep piecing together these solid offensive performances, it would be hard to keep him out of the regular rotation.

In addition to scoring, Nwora will have to show he can do all of the other little things. The biggest issue during his rookie season was his defense, as he has never been categorized as great on the defensive side of things. While he still has room to grow, he has shown some improvement early in the preseason and his one regular season meeting, which is a positive sign. For a team like the Bucks that focus so heavily on defense, Nwora will have to continue improving in that department, and this stretch should allow him to do that as he gets game reps against talented players. He did have this crazy block on Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant in the opener, which caught some attention.

https://twitter.com/Bucks/status/1450638168743571457?s=20

All in all, these various injuries will be tough to navigate for the Bucks, meaning Connaughton and Nwora will have to shoulder more of the workload. At 23-years-old, Nwora has potential waiting to be unearthed, and these meaningful minutes should help him do just that. If he can continue to impress off the bench for the depleted Bucks, there should not be questions about his playing time moving forward.

Keep an eye on Nwora as the Bucks take on the Heat tonight.