3 things to watch for as the Milwaukee Bucks take on Dallas Mavericks

Which players on the Milwaukee Bucks bench can separate themselves?

One of my favorite subplots of the Bucks season thus far has been the battle between the deeper bench players for who could potentially earn some minutes in the playoffs. Last night, we saw Wesley Matthews have by far his best game since returning to the Bucks.

The small forward group (along with Rodney Hood and Jordan Nwora) has been a relative disappointment to this point in the season, but in recent games, we’ve seen all three have standout performances. It seems as though Nwora has his confidence back after four strong games in a row and has gotten out of Budenholzer’s doghouse.

Beyond those three, Semi Ojeleye has continued to struggle offensively. He hasn’t shot the ball well at all, but also brings a defensive presence that the other players on the bench can’t. But if he can’t pick up his performance on offense, it’s hard to see him getting much run in the playoffs.

DeMarcus Cousins has gotten some more looks recently because of the depleted frontcourt and performed pretty well, especially last night against the Rockets with a double-digit scoring effort. The date for his contract to be guaranteed is rapidly approaching in January, so if he can continue to string together solid performances, he may have a spot on this team and be a “break-in-case-of-emergency” big man if needed.

It’s clear nine players are guaranteed to get minutes in the playoffs and the remaining players will fill in around them. A game like tonight against a shorthanded opponent and without a few of the Bucks’ best players is another chance for these guys to prove they should be the one to get minutes come playoff time.

There will be highs and lows with this group, as is the case with most reserve players, so there will be ebbs and flows throughout the season based on who’s hot in any given stretch.