The Milwaukee Bucks have a fascinating prospect in their hands with Kasparas Jakucionis, and they should be eager to get him on the floor as soon as possible. Clearly, one of the guard's strengths is his passing ability, which he flexed glimpses of during his rookie year in Miami. If the Bucks want to translate that potential into productivity, they should pair him with a lob threat like Jericho Sims.
Sims can be Jakucionis' safety blanket
A good lob threat can make a point guard's life much easier. Jakucionis learned this last season by spending plenty of time alongside Kel'el Ware. Per NBA.com/stats, Jakucionis tallied 20 assists via Ware buckets, the most among any of his teammates. While they will aim to build on that connection, Ware is more than a lob threat and can stretch the floor. Sims, on the other hand, is not.
The big man likes to get set up by a guard. Last season, 118 of his made baskets were assisted, while just 27 of them were not. With all but 17 of his shot attempts coming from less than five feet from the hoop last season, the big man is always lurking near the basket, giving his guards a perfect chance to lob it up if they find themselves compromised when driving to the hoop.
Just ask Kevin Porter Jr. and Ryan Rollins. While Sims alone wasn't solely responsible for having the best years of their careers as passers, he certainly helped. Sims gifted Porter 29 assists and 17 to Rollins, who ranked one and two in terms of assists he produced for teammates. He helped them, and now he could certainly do the same for the rising Jakucionis.
Sims, Jakucionis will be fighting for playing time
On paper, it makes all the sense in the world to play these two together, but it's not that simple. There is still a lingering roster crunch in Milwaukee, which has both Sims and Jakucionis lower on the depth chart. Unless the Bucks make moves to clear out some depth at point guard and center, it looks like these two will have to wait their turn.
Of course, injuries, illnesses, and absences for whatever reason do happen. The point is that if these two get a chance to share the court together at any point, the plan of attack should be clear: find the big man at the rim and let him take care of the rest. This could end up being a nice one-two punch off the bench that could give the Milwaukee Bucks a shot in the arm offensively.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.
Add us as a preferred source on Google