After a second-place finish in the Sixth Man of the Year race last season, many have guessed Jaime Jaquez Jr. will take on a much larger role with the Milwaukee Bucks. Before he could be penciled in as Milwaukee's starting small forward, though, the team needed clarity on whether they would acquire a different forward like Peyton Watson or Jonathan Kuminga. It sounds like that is off the table.
The Bucks already missed out on Peyton Watson, who is heading to Cleveland, but it sounds like they won't be chasing Jonathan Kuminga, another name they were linked to, too heavily. NBA insider Jake Fischer quieted any chatter about the Bucks being a legitimate Kuminga suitor on the latest edition of his Bleacher Report insider notebook, saying Milwaukee wasn't factoring into Kuminga's decision.
That could all but guarantee the starting small forward spot going to Jaquez.
Bucks' forward rotation favors Jaquez
Milwaukee's forward rotation is arguably the roster's biggest weak point. In addition to Jaquez, they employ Ousmane Dieng, Kyle Kuzma, Nate Ament, Pete Nance, and Bogoljub Markovic. That list has Jaquez, the bona fide Sixth Man of the Year candidate, a solid veteran in Kuzma, a project in Dieng, a player who might not even be on the roster in Nance, and two rookies.
Barring an unbelievable training camp and preseason performance from two other players on this list, Jaquez seems destined for a starting role now. Had the Bucks acquired Watson or Kuminga, that may not have been the case, as the team likely would have made a significant financial commitment to one of them and wanted to put it to good use.
With the roster constructed as is, it will likely be Jaquez at the three and Kuzma at the four.
Buy Jaquez stock while you can
While Tyler Herro and Kel'el Ware have been the headline-grabbing additions for the Bucks over these past few months, Jaime Jaquez Jr. was not a simple throw-in addition in the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade. This is a player who nearly—some say he should've—won Sixth Man of the Year after having the best year of his career yet. That was off the bench. Now, he seems destined to play even more.
Another reason to believe in Jaquez is that he should be motivated for this fresh start, considering he's due for a new contract next summer. As they say, pressure makes diamonds. With what could be the biggest role of his career and a payday hanging in the balance, Jaquez has every reason to give the Milwaukee Bucks the best year of his NBA career to date.
The Bucks not selling the farm to add another forward shows their faith in Jaquez. Now, it's time for him to repay the favor.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.
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