Three players on the standard roster have not played a prominent role for the Milwaukee Bucks at all this season: Caris LeVert, Bogoljub Markovic, and Gary Trent Jr. LeVert was salary filler for a trade to net the Bucks picks, and Markovic is a raw rookie. They make sense as bystanders. Trent not playing, however, isn't as easy to brush off, especially with his flashy new contract.
Trent remains an afterthought for Bucks
From benching Ryan Rollins and Jaime Jaquez Jr. to reintegrating Ousmane Dieng into the rotation, Taylor Jenkins is trying anything to give the Bucks a spark. Well, almost anything. He hasn't called on Trent just yet. Milwaukee's recent re-signee has played just 23 minutes all year, having spent most of his season glued to the sidelines.
That speaks volumes about how Jenkins might feel regarding what the two guard brings to the table, especially after he just earned a $64 million raise. The player who once averaged 18.3 points during a season can't help this team? Then why did the Milwaukee Bucks hand him that massive extension? Oh, right, the NBA is still looking into that for themselves...
Trent was undoubtedly bad last season, posting some of the worst numbers of his NBA career, but the fact that he can't even get on the floor outside of mop-up duty might be taking things a step too far, especially with Kyle Kuzma and Myles Turner still in the rotation. Yet, based on these first few games, Jenkins seemingly just doesn't think he's worth a closer look despite the constant tweaks.
Trent not playing makes Bucks look guilty
Jenkins constantly putting new players into the lineup while leaving Trent sidelined is not a good look for the Bucks, who are currently being investigated for potential cap circumvention. If Trent had been in the rotation from day one and played somewhat well, it wouldn't have changed the fact that there may have been some wrongdoing, but it certainly would have lessened suspicions.
By not playing Trent, Jenkins is essentially disregarding a problem he inherited when he took over as the head coach and rolling with what he thinks are better options.
Perhaps Trent's time is coming. At this point, Jenkins might as well throw the guard back into the fire and see if he's ready for redemption. The Milwaukee Bucks are already 1-11; it can't get much worse.
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