Can Jordan Nwora be a long-term piece for the Milwaukee Bucks?

The Milwaukee Bucks have several areas of their roster that they need to address this offseason.

They need to get younger, add some depth on the wing, and improve their second unit scoring, all of which were prominent issues throughout the 2021-22 season. Though the Bucks could look to fix these issues through free agency, the draft, or trades, the easiest answer to all of the above is possibly already on their roster in 23-year-old small forward Jordan Nwora. Having just wrapped up his second NBA season, there are some question marks about Nwora’s long-term future with the Bucks, but he certainly poses an interesting case to be in the franchise’s foreseeable plans as he checks off several boxes on Milwaukee’s to-do list.

Can Jordan Nwora be a long-term piece for the Milwaukee Bucks?

Jordan Nwora’s first two seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks have been incredibly turbulent, as the forward has been in and out of the rotation constantly. Oftentimes, he has shown potential that is undeniable, but the next night he could struggle mightily in all facets of the game. Part of this may stem from Nwora’s inconsistent playing time, as Mike Budenholzer has often pulled and re-placed the youngster from his rotation, which could hinder the development of a 23-year-old. Some have argued that Nwora could become a star if he received consistent minutes, while others believe his first two seasons were a large enough sample size and that Nwora cannot help this team due to a looming inability to piece it all together. Ultimately, while Nwora is a frustrating player, he could be a quality contributor for this team down the line.

Nwora came into this league as a scorer, and he has shown potential at times. Though his overall numbers do not jump off the page, having averaged 7.2 points per game while shooting a subpar 41.5 percent from the floor and 37 percent from 3-point range throughout 92 career NBA games, there have been stretches where Nwora has looked tremendous, and not coincidentally, it often has come when he has played more minutes. In 13 games as a starter this season, Nwora turned some heads as he averaged an eye-catching 16.3 points while shooting 43.2 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from 3-point territory in 34.9 minutes per game. Those numbers are quite intriguing, and one has to wonder what he could do if he was playing more than 15.9 minutes per game throughout his first two seasons.

Seeing Nwora’s scoring in extended minutes begs the question as to whether or not he could be the answer to their second unit scoring woes. Milwaukee’s bench scoring was a significant issue throughout the 2021-22 season, as they averaged the 27th most points per game in the league, according to NBA.com/stats. Given the potential that he has shown, Nwora could potentially help improve that lackluster ranking a few ticks. Nwora is a prolific scorer and shooter, which is exactly what this Milwaukee team lacked off the bench all year, especially in the postseason. With more playing time and a consistent role as a rotational bench player, perhaps Nwora could find his niche with the Bucks as the front office envisioned when they drafted him in 2020.

Though giving Nwora more minutes could potentially help improve Milwaukee’s bench numbers, doing so also poses some concerns. The forward has had his share of struggles defensively, with his passing, and shot selection throughout his first two seasons, which has previously resulted in Mike Budenholzer yanking him from games. Nwora is far from perfect, as he is undoubtedly one frustrating player to watch. However, that is often a drawback with any young player, as they are in need of experience. Everyone has clamored for the Bucks to add some youth to the roster this offseason, but they may already have a good piece in Nwora that they do not utilize much.

In short, Nwora has the potential to be a long-term piece for the Bucks. The word potential has surfaced time and time again when it comes to Nwora because he is simply filled with it, but he just has not received an opportunity to showcase it. As the Bucks are looking for youth, depth on the wing, and bench scoring this offseason, they should take a look in house and see what they have in Nwora to determine if he could genuinely be a long-term fit for this franchise.

Stay tuned to see how things transpire with Nwora and the Bucks this coming offseason.