3 things to watch for as Milwaukee Bucks return against Houston Rockets

Will we see Jordan Nwora back in the rotation for the Milwaukee Bucks?

The silver lining when a team is ravaged by injuries (and illnesses) is that it allows players who weren’t able to get a chance previously the opportunity to prove themselves. Jordan Nwora was afforded that chance to begin the season but didn’t do much with it.

We saw an improved effort on the defensive end, but it was his offense that was letting him down. Thus, Budenholzer took him out of the rotation and it partially pushed the Bucks to add Wesley Matthews in free agency. But then Matthews entered health and safety protocols (as well as a couple of others in addition to some injuries) and it forced Nwora back into playing time.

He responded by having his best stretch of games of the season so far. In his last three games, Nwora has averaged 19 points and 10 rebounds per game in addition to nearly two steals per contest. Sure, he averaged over 37 minutes but his efficiency was solid, shooting over 42 percent from 3 on 6.3 attempts and 55.1 percent true shooting.

This was the type of shot-making we saw in the preseason from the second-year wing, but it didn’t translate consistently at the beginning of the season. He appears to have his confidence back, which is huge for any player, but especially a young player whose value revolves around his scoring ability.

However, now that Matthews, Rodney Hood, and Semi Ojeleye are all back, it will be interesting how Nwora fits into the rotation. While Antetokounmpo and Portis are out, Nwora at least has a role as a rim protector in small-ball lineups, something the other three do not add.

You should expect to see Nwora play at least 15 minutes tonight because of that as well as his strong play. From there, who knows, we may see the emergence of Nwora that we expected at the beginning of the season, only a couple of months later.