The Bucks' team performance between Game 1 and Game 2 of the preseason were night and day. In the first game, Milwaukee started both Kyle Kuzma and Jaime Jaquez Jr - two non-shooters - at the forward spots. In the second game, Kuzma didn't play and the Bucks unsurprisingly scored more effectively with Jaquez as the only non-shooter in the starting lineup.
Jaquez and Kuzma will be a tough pairing all season long
Although the Bucks should have plenty of shooting up and down the roster, it can be hard to get it all out onto the floor at the same time. Many of Milwaukee's shooters have other notable weaknesses in terms of their defense, size or playmaking that keep their minutes limited. This could force Taylor Jenkins' hand to potentially play some minutes with Jaquez and Kuzma sharing the floor.
The Bucks have a lot of depth in the backcourt, but their forward rotation is much thinner. Until Nate Ament is ready to take over a starting spot, Kuzma and Jaquez will be the only proven forwards on the team - unless Kel'el Ware can play alongside another center consistently.
The preseason opener showed how hard it is to get an offensive rhythm with two non-shooters. Neither Kuzma nor Jaquez was able to get going, and their 3-point shooting was particularly bad. Kuzma shot 0-of-2 from deep that game and Jaquez hit just 1-of-4 attempts that game.
As a team, the Bucks also struggled that game; they shot just 33% from the field. With two non-shooters in the lineup, the opposing defense was able to clog driving lanes and keep everyone under wraps.
The Bucks already saw the benefits of splitting the pair
Game 2 was a different story, as the Bucks shot 46% from the field and pulled out a narrow win over the Thunder. Jaquez was much better, hitting 3-of-7 shots from three-point range. He finished with 13 points while looking much more comfortable without Kuzma on the floor.
The biggest difference in the Bucks' offense wasn't even their accuracy hitting threes. They actually shot better from deep (34% vs 32%) and hit more threes (16 vs 14) in the first game. But having more spacing on the court with Kuzma out opened up so many more opportunities for the other Bucks.
Ware took his place in the starting lineup and provided more spacing in both the vertical and horizontal dimensions. He got up 4 three-point attempts and also finished alley-oops when his defender helped too much on Bucks drivers. Ware can be much better for the Bucks offense if he has the quickness to hold up defensively as a forward.
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