3 keys as Milwaukee Bucks start mini series against Charlotte Hornets

Another chance for Semi Ojeleye and Rodney Hood to turn their respective seasons around for the Milwaukee Bucks

Another shorthanded roster, another chance for Semi Ojeleye and Rodney Hood to prove they can be useful rotation players for the Bucks.

It was a tale of two different games for the two reserves against the Nets. Hood acted as the de facto sixth man for the Bucks, playing the most of any reserve at just over 26 minutes. Ojeleye, on the other hand, played around 11 minutes.

Hood had his second double-digit scoring game of the season with 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting as well as two steals in his second-most minutes played as a Buck. Ojeleye went scoreless on 0-of-2 shooting adding nothing else other than five fouls.

Starting with Ojeleye, he looked overmatched in his matchup against Kevin Durant and, once again, couldn’t buy a bucket. I was one of the folks that were high on Ojeleye coming into the season, but he has not performed anywhere close to the expectations that I had for him. Through injuries, COVID, and inconsistent play, it’s been a rough stint for Ojeleye in Milwaukee. I feel bad for him.

Hood, however, had one of his best games of the season, providing a nice scoring punch off the bench and he looked like he fit right in. It hasn’t been great for Hood this season, being in and out of the rotation but perhaps another strong game tonight could earn him another look as a rotation member.

Many fans were calling for Hood and/or Ojeleye to be the ones waived instead of DeMarcus Cousins. As we approach the trade deadline, both could be used as salary filler for a potential trade, but perhaps one of them plays well enough to warrant a roster spot for the rest of the season.