3 takeaways from Milwaukee Bucks’ tough loss to Portland Trail Blazers

Lindell Wigginton and Jordan Nwora showed flashes for the Milwaukee Bucks, but depth remains a significant issue

The Bucks are dealing with significant injuries to the second unit right now, which includes both Pat Connaughton and George Hill being stuck on the sidelines. With their two most productive bench pieces injured, coach Budenholzer has been forced to dig deep into his bench these past few games, and it showed last night.

After failing to make much of an impression during his extended run against the Suns, sophomore forward Jordan Nwora once again received hefty minutes in this one. To his credit, Nwora looked a lot better against the Blazers, tallying 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including 3-of-6 from deep to lead the bench scoring in his 23 and a half minutes. Though he put up quality numbers, Nwora still has some work to do if he will continue to play a meaningful role. His shot selection remains incredibly questionable and his defense was laughable at various points last night as opposing players blew right by him. He showed glimpses, but it was far from a perfect night.

Another Buck that has been thrust into the regular rotation lately is Lindell Wigginton, a two-way player who had been with the Wisconsin Herd earlier this year. The guard provided a scoring boost off the bench with 11 points, despite it being a tough shooting night (2-of-6 from the floor.) While his shot was not falling with regularity, the rookie consistently attacked offensively and earned eight free throw attempts in this one, connecting on six of them. The aggressiveness and scoring that Wiggington showed last night were both welcoming signs, and he must keep it up until the Bucks can replenish their guard depth through the buyout or simply by being healthy.

With a combined 28 points between the second unit tandem, it was a rare productive night from Milwaukee’s bench, and the team will need more of that moving forward.

The Milwaukee Bucks will aim to get back on track as they take on the Indiana Pacers tonight. Be sure to catch the action at 7:00 p.m. CST on Bally Sports Wisconsin.