As they revamped their young core, the Milwaukee Bucks were among teams linked to now-Cavalier Peyton Watson this past offseason. Before signing with Cleveland, Watson would have made plenty of sense for Milwaukee, whose forward depth could have used a jolt, especially on the defensive end. After just two preseason games, that is still clearly an issue for this team.
Bucks' forward rotation is all over the place
Taylor Jenkins has been looking at his forward options throughout the entire preseason, giving time to Kyle Kuzma, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Ousmane Dieng, Nate Ament, Bogoljub Markovic, and Pete Nance. While all of them bring different things to the table that can be useful, some of which have been on display in these two games, the shortcomings have been on display early.
Kuzma had a rough showing in his lone game. Jaquez hasn't found his stride on offense and still isn't an established defender. Dieng was solid during his only outing but is still far from polished. Ament and Markovic are raw rookies who will certainly need time to develop. Nance, despite being a solid contributor, may not survive the roster cutdown.
Above all else, though, it's clear that the Milwaukee Bucks need a defensive-minded wing who can take on the toughest assignments nightly. Players like Anthony Edwards and Jalen Williams beat up on the Bucks in these two games because the team hasn't had anyone with the defensive strengths to match up with them adequately.
Landing Watson would have helped eradicate this issue, as his defensive potential is off the charts. However, the Milwaukee Bucks must now look elsewhere to patch this lingering flaw.
Bucks should scout the market for defensive help
The Bucks aren't letting the naysayers talk them into embracing losing this season. This team wants to win as many games as possible. To do so, they likely need to find a defensive upgrade at either of the forward spots. If they don't, they will likely run into this issue throughout the season again and again until it's too late to fix it.
For now, Kyle Kuzma is their answer. While a fine defender, he's far from the ideal prospect, especially when factoring in his limitations on offense and how that can limit his overall impact. Yet, when the Jayson Tatums, LeBron James, and Kevin Durants of the world are in town, it looks like Kuzma will be the one to take on the responsibility of guarding them. That just might not be a recipe for success.
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