The Milwaukee Bucks have looked old, slow and unathletic throughout their four games this season, an issue they carried throughout a good chunk of last season as well.
Throughout their first four outings this season, another word can be added to that list: disinterested. Whether it's with their shot-contesting, ball movement, carelessness with the ball or lack of desire to get back in transition, the Bucks simply haven't shown enthusiasm in those aspects of the game on a consistent basis, and it's fueled their 1-3 start out of the gate.
One way fans have been begging for Doc Rivers to combat this was by injecting some youth into the rotation to provide a spark. The Milwaukee Bucks desperately need more athletic players willing to do the dirty work every trip down the floor, and one young player fans and writers alike have been eyeing is sophomore wing Andre Jackson Jr.
Finally, Rivers gave the youngster minutes in the first half of Milwaukee's loss to the Boston Celtics. While that was promising, Jackson couldn't shake what has been his greatest flaw early in his playing career, and it prevented Doc Rivers from being fully committed to Jackson throughout the game.
Andre Jackson Jr. showed promise, but the fouling still haunts him
With the Bucks desperately needing a spark, Jackson checked into the game in the second quarter. He showed some hustle and embraced the challenge of defending Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, but he could not cut back on the fouls. In just under six minutes, he registered three fouls, seeming to lose the trust of Rivers, as he did not see the floor again until mop-up duty in the fourth quarter.
Jackson's foul troubles are frustrating because he checks all of the boxes in terms of what the Bucks need off the bench right now. He's a crafty passer who is also willing to fight for rebounds, the latter being an area Milwaukee has been poor in this season. On that same note, he went coast-to-coast for a pretty dunk in mop-up duty, flexing athleticism that Milwaukee's regular rotational veterans lack.
Although it was brief, it was nice to see Doc Rivers at least experiment with Jackson rather than living and dying by his typical veterans, especially in a game against such a strong opponent. There may be an opportunity for Jackson, but he has to dial it back with the fouls if he ever wants to stick in an NBA rotation consistently.
At 22, Jackson is young, and mistakes are bound to happen; it's all part of the development process. This writer would rather live with a young player making mistakes and growing from it rather than one of the veterans simply falling short of expectations and making repeated mistakes playing hefty time for a Milwaukee Bucks team that is struggling beyond belief.
For a team that is lacking basically everything that Jackson brings to the table, there's a shot he may be able to creep his way into this rotation and be the young missing piece to the puzzle if he patches this one prominent flaw in his game and earns the trust of Rivers.
Milwaukee is now 1-3 on the season, and things look gloomy. There is plenty of basketball left on the NBA schedule, and getting back on the right track starts with this team upping its nightly intensity. To their credit, the Milwaukee Bucks did show some fight all the way up until late in the third quarter. It was all downhill from there.
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