3 Milwaukee Bucks that are X-factors in quest to repeat as NBA champions
By Dalton Sell
Jordan Nwora will be an X-factor for the Milwaukee Bucks this season
The Jordan Nwora experience during his second NBA season has been a roller coaster ride to this point. The forward started the season playing a meaningful role in the rotation only to seemingly be put in the doghouse and fall out of coach Mike Budenholzer’s favor. Mainly due to the constant bodies going in and out of the rotation due to injuries or protocols, Nwora’s minutes have started to vary on a nightly basis recently.
With the Bucks significantly banged up over their past three games, Nwora has started in these matchups, and he has undeniably taken advantage. In that span, he is averaging a double-double by scoring 19 points and hauling in 10 rebounds in 37.2 minutes per game. His offense has been stellar in this run as he is shooting 46 percent from the floor and 42.1 percent from behind the arc. Nwora’s numbers are up mainly because he has received more touches offensively with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, among others, all sidelined, but it is welcoming to see the 23-year-old play with confidence when called upon.
The Bucks will not ask Nwora to average a double-double when everyone is back in the fold, but can he be impactful enough to crack the rotation nightly? Their bench has struggled to score the basketball this season as they are 28th in points per game in 2021-22. Nwora, who is known for his scoring and shooting, should help in that regard, but he has struggled with consistency when he has gotten playing time this year. The sophomore could come out and score 15 one game and follow it up with an inefficient scoreless outing the next. Tie that in with his defensive lapses and tendency to turn the basketball over and it is hard to trust him out on the floor at times.
Sure, there are few championship contenders that will rely heavily on a second-year pro to help in their title chase. The forward is far from a finished product, and the Bucks have tried baptizing him by fire, which has produced mixed results. Yet, the potential is there front and center. If Nwora can get a grip on his inconsistencies with scoring and tighten up the turnovers while staying afloat on the defensive end, there is no reason he could not be a key piece for this second unit. He just has not managed to put all the pieces together, but hopefully he can because these last three games showed untapped potential for the Milwaukee Bucks.