Milwaukee Bucks wing Taurean Prince missed three months of basketball, and yet, he has already regained the trust of Doc Rivers, with the veteran being thrown into the starting lineup on Tuesday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Prince brings much-needed wing depth to the Bucks
It may be a sign of where the Bucks are that Prince can return from such a long period out and immediately enter the starting lineup. Tuesday's defeat saw Rivers opt for his 26th different starting five of the season. Prince played 22 minutes, scoring eight points, with two rebounds and an assist, shooting 3-of-7 (42.9 percent) from the field.
The Bucks were without several players, but Rivers still decided to go with Prince alongside Kyle Kuzma, with AJ Green, Ousmane Dieng, and Bobby Portis all playing big minutes from the bench.
Milwaukee has struggled with its wing positions all season. Kuzma has taken on a lot of the workload, while Green's size has been taken advantage of, and Gary Trent Jr. has completely found his way out of the rotation. Prince's return is important for a team that has a lot of depth now in the backcourt and frontcourt but struggles at the three spot.
Bucks' plan for Prince is clear
With Prince only recently returning from injury, it would be smart for the Bucks to move him back to the bench when others are available, just to not re-aggravate the issue. However, Rivers clearly has faith in the veteran to go with him over others that have been available all season, and it's perhaps a damning indictment of certain players dropping down the depth chart just after his return.
Defensively, the Bucks have struggled all season, and Prince's size will help on the wings. Kuzma has just had so much responsibility there, and now, Rivers has changed his role a lot. Against Cleveland, he played just 16 minutes. His up-and-down minutes clearly suggest Rivers doesn't trust him fully and that Prince could be the one to take a bulk of those minutes away.
Prince may also be a better fit for the offense than Kuzma, as he is a better 3-point shooter and doesn't need the ball in his hands.
It is great to see Taurean Prince back on the floor after such a long spell out injured. No one expected him to be back in the starting lineup so quickly, but this shows Doc Rivers clearly has faith in him, and that many players should be careful or they will find themselves out of the rotation.