For years, the Milwaukee Bucks have drafted raw players, not given them minutes, and watched them eventually disappear from the team. Nate Ament is different; he is already being trusted by Taylor Jenkins to play serious minutes, and he looked like he belonged at the NBA level in his outing against the Indiana Pacers.
Nate Ament may feature more than first expected
Ament made his debut against the Philadelphia 76ers, where he looked raw. It was his outing against the Pacers where he looked impressive and showed that he can contribute to this team already.
Ament finished the night with seven points and three rebounds, shooting 3-of-8 (37.5 percent) from the field, including going 1-of-2 (50 percent) from deep. Those numbers may not jump off the page, but the team was a +12 with him on the floor, as he held opponents to just 1-of-6 (16.7 percent) shooting from the field in his 14 minutes on the floor.
Milwaukee's starting forwards have started strong, with both Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kyle Kuzma impressing so far. Ousmane Dieng has struggled to get going, and Taylor Jenkins already looked toward Ament for that reason. The coach enjoys giving young players opportunities, and that is what the Bucks' young core and Ament need, especially in their new era as a team.
How would previous Bucks rookies have fared with same opportunities?
There is a long list of Bucks draftees who have come through the door with plenty of potential only to barely see the floor. During the Giannis Antetokounmpo era, Milwaukee was always trying to compete, so it made sense to part with draft capital to make win-now moves. However, you look around the league now, and the best teams have draftees contributing to their successes.
Ament was a higher pick than most previous Bucks selections, but it does make you think what the Bucks may look like now and those individuals' careers had they just been given a shot.
Take AJ Johnson, for example. An incredibly raw prospect taken in the first round of the 2024 draft, just to be traded alongside Khris Middleton for Kuzma halfway through the season. Johnson is already on the fifth team of his NBA career, which may show what the consensus around the league is regarding the point guard, but he also can't be expected to develop if he is constantly moving teams.
Tyler Smith from the same draft had plenty of potential and high hopes. He is currently in the G League, hoping to find his way back. Chris Livingston signed a record-breaking deal for the final pick in the draft, only to play 196 minutes in two seasons of his potential four-year deal with the team.
Ament right now is better than those previous picks, and his ceiling is also higher. The Bucks are now in a situation where they are looking to the future rather than competing and are willing to give a project player like Ament a chance early on to grow. It does just make you wonder how differently those other players' careers may have gone had they been given more opportunities.
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