The Milwaukee Bucks have a new head coach, which means new philosophies, strategies, and game plans, especially with this being Adrian Griffin’s first year as a leading man.
No one knows quite yet how Griffin will run the show, but he’s expected to get Milwaukee’s young players involved in the action. The first-year head coach has a well-known background in player development as an assistant, and that will be put to the test in Milwaukee, with the team having added a handful of young players to what was the NBA’s oldest roster this off-season.
With that said, let us look at a few players who might see more playing time than fans expect.
No. 1 – Omari Moore
Omari Moore is a fascinating player the Bucks were fortunate enough to scoop from the undrafted pool following the 2023 NBA Draft. He showed plenty of nice potential at San Jose State in college, and he could wind up being a very solid NBA player. Comments from General Manager Jon Horst make it seem like Moore could end up seeing some legitimate minutes this coming season.
In a recent interview with The Athletic’s Eric Nehm (Subscription required), Horst recognized that the Bucks don’t have a backup point guard on a standard deal on the roster. However, he believes that Moore could be one of the players that could help the team in that regard. The 22-year-old is not a pure point guard, but Horst could be onto something intriguing here.
During his four-year stay at San Jose State, Moore’s strongest attribute was his scoring output, but he was also a strong passer and ball-handler. He averaged 3.7 assists per contest during his four years, including 4.7 during his final two seasons. Moore is comfortable in the point forward role, and the Milwaukee Bucks could take advantage of that this coming season.
As a two-way player, Moore isn’t expected to play a key role, but he could certainly see minutes to give Milwaukee more ball-handling and facilitating, which may surprise some.
No. 2 – TyTy Washington
Though Omari Moore isn’t a traditional point guard, TyTy Washington is. The Bucks recently added Washington with their final two-way slot, giving them another backup point guard option they can experiment with. Despite being the second-youngest player on the roster at 21 years old, trailing only Chris Livingston, Washington could see time with the veteran-oriented Milwaukee Bucks.
There’s unquestionably some potential waiting to be unearthed with Washington. After all, he was a first round pick a year ago. There’s a reason one team thought highly enough of Washington that they took him with such a prestigious asset. While Washington might not be Milwaukee’s backup point guard for certain, they could use him and attempt to bring that potential to the surface.
As a two-way player, Washington will be limited in terms of how many games he can appear in for the Bucks in a season. Yet, it would not be too surprising to see him use up all of those games this year as the team aims to find a suitable backup point guard. Unless the team adds a backup via a trade, Washington has a good shot of seeing legitimate minutes in the big leagues.
Fans are excited about this signing, and it’s beyond understandable for many reasons.
No. 3 – Andre Jackson Jr.
Out of all of the rookies and new young players on Milwaukee’s roster, Andre Jackson Jr. has the most potential of them all to see a prominent role. The Bucks are clearly high on what Jackson can bring to the table, having traded up to select him in the 2023 NBA Draft. Seeing what he did at the collegiate level, it’s justifiable to see why the Milwaukee Bucks were so interested in him.
Jackson can help the Bucks in a lot of different ways. Above all else, he’s a 6-foot-6 wing who can play tough defense. He’s extremely versatile and switchable. On top of that, Jackson can play the point forward role, which he excelled at in college. He’s unquestionably capable of handling the ball and making plays for his teammates in a backup role.
The biggest area Jackson will have to work on to become a more well-rounded NBA player will be his perimeter shooting, as it’s among his weakest points. Yet, he could still see a nice role early on due to the defense, versatility, and ball-handling capabilities he brings to the table. If Jackson can develop that 3-point shot even a little, he could quickly become a huge piece for Milwaukee.
All in all, the Bucks have an assortment of young players who could play larger roles than fans are expecting in 2023-24, and it’s an exciting feeling.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis and roster breakdowns.