As the Milwaukee Bucks' tough start to the season continues, Taylor Jenkins has been tinkering with the rotations to find some form of winning formula. Guard Kasparas Jakucionis has been one of the biggest casualties of these changes, seeing his minutes change constantly; he didn't see the floor against the Magic, stunting his potential growth.
Jakucionis is finding consistency hard to come by
Jakucionis has shown moments of promise early on this season. In the first seven games of the season, he actually averaged 22.4 minutes per game, with flashes of what he can potentially bring to this Bucks roster now and moving forward on display. His 3-point shooting has been poor at 23.3 percent, which could be part of his lack of consistent minutes, but the team as a whole has struggled with their outside shooting, so it's not all on him.
Since the opening seven games, the Lithuanian has played 11 minutes, 10 minutes, seven minutes, 23 minutes, and had a positive showing against the Knicks, only to then play four minutes against the Lakers and not take part against the Magic.
Jenkins is in a very tough spot as head coach. It's the first year of a rebuild, and there are so many pieces that it's hard to figure out what the Bucks are trying to do. Young players need minutes to develop. Veterans need minutes to increase value. Ultimately, a level of inconsistent minutes is impacting everyone, and it makes some of the losses harder to swallow, as the individual performances are all affected, too.
More rotation changes on the way
Nate Ament made his first career start against the Lakers, showcasing some flashes of defensive potential in what was an overall quiet performance. He was then swapped out for Ousmane Dieng, who played just four minutes, but is now out for Sunday's game against the Hawks; it hasn't been confirmed whether the left finger sprain is the reason for such limited time in his start.
Jericho Sims is another player to see his minutes go up and down. When he has played, the energy has been there despite not having an overall scoreboard impact. Veteran Gary Trent Jr. started the season out of the rotation, adding further suspicion to the potential cap circumvention relating to his new contract this summer. Against Orlando, he then registered 16 minutes after some solid garbage-time minutes in the games prior.
All of this is having an impact on Jakucionis' development.
Jenkins is in a tough spot; nobody wants to lose. The reality is that the Bucks are rebuilding, trying to figure things out, and were never expected to win a ton of games. Inconsistent minutes for the likes of Kasparas Jakucionis, however, could prove a problem not only in the present but in the future too.
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