Young Milwaukee Bucks players are losing their rotation spots to younger players. A youth movement is fully underway in the 414, and everyone wants to know who will be next after Ousmane Dieng and Ryan Rollins were assigned different roles shortly into the season. In all likelihood, the answer will not be Tyler Herro, who will stick in his starting shooting guard spot.
Herro likely safe as Bucks starting two guard
There are two factors that made demoting Dieng and Rollins far more understandable. The first is that they were both playing incredibly poorly. The second is that they are on smaller contracts that make it easier to stomach. Herro checks off neither of those boxes, so sorry to anyone who was hoping that prized youngster Kasparas Jakucionis' time as a starter was coming.
Herro has looked good as Milwaukee's top option, averaging 21.9 points, five rebounds, four assists, and 1.1 assists while shooting 45.9 percent from the floor. Rollins and Dieng weren't putting up stats anywhere near that. The hometown guard is also taking home $33 million this season, and benching someone making that amount would be tough to stomach. Sixth men don't make that money.
For now, this remains Herro's team, and his role reflects that, even if he is on the older side of Bucks players on the current squad.
Starting Herro could help Jakucionis eventually
If the Milwaukee Bucks do want to get Jakucionis in the starting lineup at some point, it will be much later down the line. Starting Herro now makes sense because this is the perfect time to audition him for any potential interested suitors. If he plays well and someone makes a move to acquire him at the NBA Trade Deadline, it would then open the door to a Jakucionis promotion.
Eventually, the plan should be to get Jakucionis in the starting five. The Bucks already have one piece of the future starting in the backcourt in Brayden Burries. Jakucionis is the perfect complement to him, with his excellent passing as a pure floor general. They could be the one-two punch that leads Milwaukee in its next era. For now, though, all of that is on pause, and understandably so.
Instead of Herro losing his gig, Kyle Kuzma feels far more likely. Nate Ament has been playing well, and after a strong start, Kuzma has cooled down mightily. Don't be surprised if Ament works his way up and Kuzma sinks.
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