Grading Jordan Nwora’s new two-year deal with the Milwaukee Bucks
By Dalton Sell
Assessing Jordan Nwora’s fit and role with the Milwaukee Bucks after signing a two-year deal
Jordan Nwora’s fit and role with the Milwaukee Bucks have constantly fluctuated throughout his first two NBA seasons. In year one, he played scarcely, having seen the floor in 30 games for an average of 9.1 minutes per game. In his sophomore season, Nwora doubled those numbers by appearing in 62 games for 19.1 minutes per contest. Nwora started last season as a key cog in coach Mike Budenholzer’s rotation, but his playing time started lessening as the year went on. Now, with a new deal, it will be captivating to see where he fits into the rotation this season.
On paper, Nwora is a player who fits well with Milwaukee. The Bucks are always looking for more long-range shooting, and Nwora has never been shy about letting it fly. Over his first two seasons, Nwora has shot 107-of-289 (37 percent) from 3-point land, which is solid. Nwora has also shown a knack for being able to create his own shot offensively, which is something the Bucks need more of moving forward. The bigger questions with Nwora revolve around his play on the opposite side of the basketball. Defense has never been Nwora’s strong suit, and his struggles on that end were a significant reason why he was pulled from the rotation last season. For Nwora to get minutes on a consistent basis next season, he will have to produce offensively while showing improvement on the defensive end as well.
If Nwora does get playing time, his role would largely be about putting the ball in the basket and giving the team another creator off the bench. According to NBA.com/stats, Milwaukee’s bench ranked 27th in points per game last season, which was a prominent weakness that came back to bite the team in the playoffs. While having Bobby Portis return to the bench will give the team an enormous boost, they could use more help offensively in the second unit. That is why fans of the Bucks have clamored for the team to trade for Jordan Clarkson, after all. If Nwora can give the Bucks some quality scoring and outside shooting while being at least passable on defense, the potential for him to earn steady minutes will be there for the taking.
Just like he was last season, Nwora may find himself on the floor for the Bucks early this season. Khris Middleton told reporters during media day on Sunday that he may miss some time to begin the season due to off-season wrist surgery. If Middleton will be out of the mix to start, the Bucks will have a massive hole on the wing. That would open the door for Nwora to get some legitimate action until Middleton is good to go. When everyone is healthy, things get more challenging as the Bucks have a handful of wings, but the forward could have the opportunity to make an impression early on in 2022-23 in Middleton’s absence.