NBA preseason is all about seeing who fits where and which combinations might click. It's clear after just one matchup that the Milwaukee Bucks have a special one on their hands with Jericho Sims and Kel'el Ware. When paired together against the Minnesota Timberwolves, these towering giants flexed legitimate potential that Coach Taylor Jenkins must look to explore further.
Ware, Sims can make a difference on the glass
The Milwaukee Bucks were horrible when it came to offensive rebounding last season. In fact, they ranked dead last in the NBA with just 8.9 per game. The Los Angeles Lakers were 29th with 9.4 per game. That's quite the gap. In one sequence, Ware and Sims utilized their athletic skill sets to show that perhaps they could help lessen these woes.
After a Gary Trent Jr. miss in the first quarter, Sims leaped for a rebound over several Timberwolves and secured the ball. After yet another Trent miss—it wasn't his greatest night—it was Ware's turn to haul in the rebound. They even connected on a play shortly after, where Sims grabbed a board off an AJ Green miss and kicked it out to Ware, who buried a 3-pointer.
For a team that was plagued by its lack of second-chance scoring last season, it would make plenty of sense to use the two freakish athletes who can generate more opportunities constantly due to their persistent rebounding to turn over a new leaf. No matter who the other three are on the floor, this duo could be the team's secret weapon to demoralize other teams on the glass.
This will all shine a spotlight on Myles Turner's role
Of course, if Ware and Sims are on the floor, Myles Turner will be on the sidelines. The team will not be playing a triple-big lineup. If the aforementioned duo is producing, it could make Turner expendable in Milwaukee's rotation, given that he doesn't have the athletic flair or rebounding chops—hauling in a career-low 5.3 boards per game last season—that the other two possess.
Only pouring gasoline onto that fire is that a Ware and Sims pairing is similar to the Jaren Jackson Jr. and Steven Adams duo that Jenkins often used during his time in Memphis. Ware can be the type of mobile forward that Jackson was, while Sims is the sturdier, interior threat that Adams was. If Jenkins wants to stick to what he knows, that duo could see a lot of time.
Putting Turner on the trade block before the deadline would almost be inevitable at that point.
For now, though, Jenkins should keep using the Ware-Sims pairing throughout the preseason to see just how well they continue to make a steady impact.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.
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