3 takeaways from Milwaukee Bucks’ gutting loss to Charlotte Hornets
By Dalton Sell
Donte DiVincenzo and Pat Connaughton led a lackluster showing by the bench as they returned to the Milwaukee Bucks’ lineup
In Saturday’s loss to the Hornets, the Bucks’ second unit was downright awful as the entire unit combined to score a mere five points. They were better last night as they doubled that output by scoring 10 points, but still, that is far too little to get the job done. Rodney Hood led the charge by scoring six points on 2-of-3 shooting from deep, but aside from him, it was far from pretty.
After missing the past few games, the Bucks welcomed Donte DiVincenzo and Pat Connaughton back into the lineup. Following Saturday’s struggle, it seemed like these two could be the spark in the second unit that Milwaukee needed, but that ultimately did not happen. Both players looked incredibly rusty as they combined to shoot 0-for-14 from the field, including 0-for-12 from three in their hefty minutes. The tandem scored a combined two points on the night thanks to two free throws from DiVincenzo. To be fair, both players were not expected to light it up coming off their extended absences, but this was just brutal. Hopefully this means they got it out of the way.
Milwaukee’s other two reserves to see time in the loss were Sandro Mamukelashvili and 10-day guard Langston Galloway. Mamukelashvili chipped in two points and a blocked shot in his limited minutes, but he looked lost out on the floor for most of the night. The same goes for Galloway, who is now shooting a brutal 1-of-13 in three games since joining the Bucks.
With the bench struggling over these past two games, Bucks fans have questioned the team’s decision to waive center DeMarcus Cousins. The big man was playing productive basketball during his brief time in Milwaukee before the front office waived him in what seemed like a move to save money. Cousins provided an ample amount of scoring, rebounding, and toughness that the current bench brigade has shown no signs of in these two losses. In the short term, the bench will continue to struggle without Cousins.