A stunning move on Monday night saw the Milwaukee Bucks waive guard Cam Thomas to sign Pete Nance to a full contract. This decision has shockingly shown that the Bucks still have some faith in young guard Andre Jackson Jr.
Andre Jackson Jr. picked over Cam Thomas
Jackson started his NBA career in Milwaukee on a positive note, showing signs that the Bucks may have hit on one of their draft picks. After solid rookie and sophomore seasons, his third year in the league has seen him struggle to kick on. Defensively, he has always been excellent, but his lack of offensive development has led to him playing in just 37 games this season, averaging 5.9 minutes.
Despite being a defensive specialist, Doc Rivers clearly doesn't have faith in him contributing, with the Bucks sitting 25th in the league in defensive rating and Jackson struggling to see the floor. His minutes have dropped from 14.6 in the 2024-25 season. After starting 43 games last season, he has yet to do so once this year.
As for Thomas, the team desperately needed a scoring punch, especially with Giannis Antetokounmpo out, so it felt like he was a good signing. In his first couple of games, he impressed but quickly fell out of favor, and his lack of efficiency and facilitation caused Rivers to decrease his minutes. Rather than keeping him, the Bucks clearly felt like it was better to move on.
AJax's future with the Bucks
The Bucks were always going to sign Pete Nance to a standard deal. The question was who they had to cut to make it work. This decision to go with Jackson over Thomas shows that some faith remains in Milwaukee's former second-round draft selection. Perhaps they will get a look at him over the final few games to see if he can display any potential.
It is just difficult to see the front office picking up his team option next season. It's a shame, as his start with the Bucks was positive, and it looked like they had a real prospect on their hands, but there needs to be a huge turnaround for Jackson in this final stretch for the team to be convinced to exercise his option.
Can Jackson rewrite the narrative regarding Milwaukee's recent draft woes? It's a tall task, and his back is up against the wall, but it's clear that the Bucks have some faith in him still.