It was another rough defeat for the Milwaukee Bucks on Halloween, but Nate Ament gave the fans in attendance a treat with his performance. The rookie had a career night and is getting better each game, vindicating Taylor Jenkins' decision to promote him to a key rotation piece already.
Ament shines against Cavs
Despite being drafted with the 13th pick, it felt as though Ament would play sporadically in his rookie season, with his raw skill set something that needed to be molded in the coming years. However, he has been the most impactful wing off the bench for the Bucks already this season.
Against the Cavs, he finished with a career-high 14 points on 6-for-8 (75 percent) shooting, including 2-for-3 (66.7 percent) from deep. He has featured in four games this season, with an early injury delaying his debut, but he's averaging 7.5 points and three rebounds on shooting splits of .440/.444/.500 in under 16 minutes per game.
The positives don't just stop with his offense, as his defense has been really impressive so far. Ament is holding opponents to 31 percent shooting on the season, the best on this Bucks roster, after he held Cleveland players to just 1-of-5 (20 percent) with him as the primary defender on Saturday night.
His jump shooting needs work, and the Bucks knew that coming into the draft, but the early signs are extremely positive. He is way ahead of schedule.
Other Bucks wings need to be careful of being left behind
Ament's rise has been great to see, while other players' performances have been a little concerning to start the season; they may find themselves left behind. Ousmane Dieng is the main casualty of the rookie's ascension, despite being re-signed to a three-year deal this summer.
The French forward excelled late in the season, but his minutes have been mixed at the start of the season. On opening night, he played 21 minutes, but has since played just three minutes in the win against the Pacers and six minutes against the Cavs. His 33.3 percent shooting from the field and 14.3 percent success rate from deep don't help, along with opponents scoring on 57.9 percent of their attempts when guarded by him.
Gary Trent Jr. has appeared in just two games this season, and AJ Green is looking over his shoulder as Brayden Burries starts his rookie season on fire.
Ament's start to the season has shown he can already be impactful for this Bucks roster, and his performances are only going to warrant even more minutes. Many thought it would take some time for the rookies to really embed themselves into Jenkins' plans, but they are already proving they belong in the rotation.
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