Over the weekend, Doc Rivers pulled the plug on the Milwaukee Bucks' once-promising Cam Thomas experiment. The combo guard didn't log a single minute against the Indiana Pacers, making it crystal clear for all that Rivers would be going in a different direction. Which way did he go? He brought Gary Harris back into the fold, where he will likely stay.
Rivers is rolling with the veteran Harris
While Thomas may offer more upside (he did have a 34-point game with this team already), Harris is the veteran, and Rivers seems to trust him more. Furthermore, the coach recently spoke about his desire to play bigger lineups to help the team defensively, and Harris, 6-foot-4, 220lbs, offers more upside than Thomas, 6-foot-3, 210lbs, even if it's not a drastic difference.
Statistically, Gary Harris isn't making headlines. In his return to the rotation, he poured in six points, one assist, and a steal in 22 minutes. It was a fine outing, but nothing noteworthy. Harris does all of the little things that don't grab attention. He will hit open threes. He plays defense. He'll get out and run. Rivers seemingly thinks he gives Milwaukee a better option off the bench than Thomas.
Time will tell if Gary Harris' return is permanent or if Doc Rivers will once again shuffle the rotation, especially when Kevin Porter Jr. returns to form.
The Thomas honeymoon has ended
This outcome seemed unfathomable a month ago. Thomas started his Milwaukee Bucks tenure off red-hot, pouring in scoring performances that included 34 points, 27 points, and 15 points early on. He looked like the steal of buyout season and someone who could help the Bucks in their push to the Play-In Tournament. Of course, that has all come crashing down since.
The type of player Thomas is has been going extinct in the NBA in recent years. Score-first bucket getters are being shelved for players who find ways to do a little bit of everything. Harris might not ever score 34 points again, but Rivers clearly values everything he brings to the table more than what Thomas brings at this point.
It's not like Thomas had been lighting it up before his benching. This month, he's averaging 7.4 points while hitting just 37.5 percent of his shots. That's just not going to cut it, especially from a player who is known to struggle on the defensive end. For the time being, Thomas has no clear pathway back to rotational minutes, but that could quickly change.
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