There was more to the Milwaukee Bucks waiving Kevin Porter Jr. than simply trimming their roster to 15 standard players. The Bucks wanted to create opportunities in their backcourt for younger talent, such as Kasparas Jakucionis. Well, considering how well Milwaukee's newly-promoted second unit floor general played in the season opener, it feels safe to say that was a good call.
Jakucionis shines in Bucks' loss to Wizards
Despite a quiet preseason, Taylor Jenkins let Jakucionis off the leash immediately. The guard played 26 minutes off the bench against Washington, the most of any reserve. Despite being raw and very inexperienced, Jakucionis largely looked comfortable taking control of the offense at times, making it far easier for the team to stomach cutting one of their most productive players from a season ago.
In total, he finished with 15 points, three assists, three rebounds, and a block.
The scoring stood out above all else, considering Jakucionis had just five games all of last season with over 15 points. Coming out in game one and scoring at will speaks to not only his growth but also a desire to be more aggressive on offense with the Milwaukee Bucks. His constant attacking earned him six free throw attempts, and he sank them all. That can be a real tool in his arsenal.
If there was anything to complain about, it would be the fouls. Now, it must be said that the Wizards got their share of favorable whistles in this one, but Jakucionis was overaggressive at times. If he'll play a big role for the Milwaukee Bucks constantly, they will need him to dial it back and be smarter. Given everything else he showed on the positive side, though, that feels like a nitpick.
Third quarter shows the best of Jakucionis
Since he came to Milwaukee, Bucks fans have been waiting to see the passing and scoring that made Jakucionis a necessary piece of the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade. The best glimpse of both came in the third quarter of this one.
In the third period, Jakucionis scored eight points, sinking two layups and burying four shots at the foul line. Once again, that aggressiveness came into play. In addition to his own scoring, the guard's teammates were kept in the mix, as Jakucionis dished pretty passes to both AJ Green and Brayden Burries, both hitting 3-pointers. Simply put, he looked confident and in charge all night.
The keys to the second unit are his. Now, Jakucionis must look to build on this performance with the full faith of the Milwaukee Bucks supporting him after Porter's departure. Sure, the Bucks might miss Porter's scoring and passing to some degree early on, but Jakucionis' growth in his place could fuel his rise as one of the franchise's building blocks and have him take over in that regard quickly.
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