3 wild cards for the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2022-23 NBA season

Jevon Carter could be a wild card for the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2022-23 NBA season

After being waived by the Brooklyn Nets in February of last season, Jevon Carter signed a deal to play out the rest of the campaign with the Milwaukee Bucks. It was a fine move initially, but the guard caught some attention quickly as he played some outstanding basketball with the Bucks. Carter put up the best numbers of his career during the final portion of last season, and his strong play to close the year made it an easy decision for the team to re-sign him this past offseason. If the 27-year-old gets some legitimate minutes next season, he could be even better.

While it came in a small sample size of 20 regular season games, Carter showed that he could be the perfect backup point guard for the Bucks. He brought intensity on the defensive end after coming aboard, having picked up opposing ball-handlers the full length of the court on a nightly basis. Carter also provided some impressive outside shooting as he buried an eye-catching 55.8 percent of his 3-pointers in that same timeframe. The 26-year-old guard was a perfect fit when he shared the floor alongside Milwaukee’s core pieces in Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, and others, which helped him find success when given the opportunity last season.

If given legitimate rotational minutes next season, Carter could potentially build off the success that he had with the Bucks last season. To get those minutes, Carter will have to earn the job as Milwaukee’s backup point guard. Of course, George Hill was the team’s backup floor general last season, and he put together arguably the worst season of his career, but he was given significant minutes in the playoffs while Carter was glued to the sidelines. Carter and Hill both remain on Milwaukee’s roster, and there could be a battle for the backup point guard job throughout training camp. If Carter wins the job, he could have a big season and be a major contributor to the Bucks.

The question at hand is whether or not Carter will see playing time this season or if he will be kept on the bench like he was down the stretch in 2021-22, having the entire regular season to gain rapport with his teammates and coaches should help his case.