3 takeaways from Milwaukee Bucks’ tough loss to Phoenix Suns

The Milwaukee Bucks’ paper-thin bench just got more problematic with an injury to Pat Connaughton

Milwaukee’s second unit has not been particularly good this season, but they now find themselves in an even tougher position moving forward. The Bucks have already been shorthanded lately with George Hill sidelined due to neck soreness, but they will now be without Pat Connaughton for the foreseeable future after he fractured his right fourth metacarpal in the third quarter of yesterday’s game against the Suns. Those are arguably the team’s two most essential bench pieces, and the Bucks will have to look elsewhere with them both sidelined.

Typically, unfortunate injuries to Hill and Connaughton would force the Bucks to rely heavier on Donte DiVincenzo, but he is no longer with the team after being moved at the trade deadline. The Bucks also shaved off some depth by dealing away Rodney Hood and Semi Ojeleye, leaving their bench rather than in last night’s game. Lindell Wiggington, one of Milwaukee’s two-way players, saw an eye-catching 18 minutes of game action last night, while Jordan Nwora played just under 15 minutes in this one. These two are typically not in the regular rotation, but seeing them both out there for an extended period highlighted the team’s lack of depth.

Surprisingly, this was far from Milwaukee’s worst bench performance of the season despite the shortage of bodies as they did score 28 points. Still, that production is not great by any measure, and the Bucks must aim to add some bench support with Connaughton, their leading second unit scorer this season, sidelined for an undisclosed period of time. The Bucks opened up several roster spots following yesterday’s trade deadline, and general manager Jon Horst must now get busy as the team has some massive holes right now.