After a tough road defeat against the Detroit Pistons to kick off the preseason, the Milwaukee Bucks returned home to welcome in the Los Angeles Lakers.
It was an interesting game, to say the least. Giannis Antetokounmpo making his preseason debut was certainly a shot in the arm for the Bucks, though they were without Khris Middleton and Delon Wright. Yet, Milwaukee put together a strong first half with most of their primary rotation players, possessing a 58-52 lead at the break.
Having seen enough, Doc Rivers pulled his regulars and let the players looking to carve out a role for themselves take over in half two. While the young Bucks managed to hold a 15-point lead in the final quarter, the Lakers went on a late surge and erased that in the blink of an eye. They went on to take a 107-102 victory back to LA, gifting the Milwaukee Bucks a 0-2 record in the preseason thus far.
Despite the loss, there were plenty of eye-catching individual performances in this one, and let's now break them down by analyzing studs and duds.
Stud - AJ Johnson
With Delon Wright, Milwaukee's backup point guard, out for the game, rookie AJ Johnson got some extra burn in this one, and he didn't disappoint. In 22 minutes, the 19-year-old showed his potential, attacking the hoop with confidence while teeing off from deep. Furthermore, he flexed his prowess as a faciliatory and rebounder, having an all-around impact on this one.
In total, Johnson finished with 13 points, four rebounds and three assists. It wasn't a perfect outing, as Johnson shot just 41.7 percent and had two turnovers and two fouls, but there's no question the youngster was one of the bright spots from this contest. It's early, but Johnson is proving he may be more NBA-ready than some initially thought.
Dud - Andre Jackson Jr.
A lot of Bucks fans predicted Andre Jackson Jr. would break out for the team this year. He still could, but between Summer League and the preseason, he truly hasn't shown much. In just eight and a half minutes, Jackson made one of his five shot attempts, all from inside the arc. He didn't appear to have the same confidence attacking the hoop from a season ago, even missing a dunk.
Elsewhere, Jackson stuffed the stat sheet with ones, tallying one rebound, one assist, one steal, one turnover and one personal foul. If the wing will truly leap into the rotation like Bucks fans had thought, the sophomore simply needs to shake this slump he's been in. Jackson has all of the physical tools to be an NBA player, and he still has time to turn things around, but this was another subpar showing.
Stud - Bobby Portis
When you're constantly being featured in the trade machine, one of the best ways to silence those who want you gone is to play well. That's exactly what Milwaukee Bucks big man Bobby Portis did in this one, having an incredibly efficient game off the bench. In just 14-and-a-half minutes, he finished with a game-high 23 points and was a team-high +12.
The big man was efficient with almost every single shot, shooting 8-of-9 from the floor, including a perfect 5-of-5 from behind the arc, and 2-of-2 from the charity stripe. It felt like it was going in each time Portis shot it, and it nearly did. This is the type of spark that the Bucks need from Portis, even if he won't score 23 every night. Sweet 3-point shooting like this could be an X-factor.
Dud - AJ Green
Like Andre Jackson Jr., there were a lot of eyes on AJ Green entering the preseason, especially after Doc Rivers praised the guard's offseason efforts. He hasn't quite burst onto the scene just yet, as he finished with just three points on 1-of-4 shooting, all of which came from 3-point land while tallying a pair of turnovers in the loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
In 18 minutes, the Milwaukee Bucks need more from Green. His main draw is his perimeter shooting, and it just hasn't been there in the preseason. Thankfully, Green has time to shoot his way out of this slump throughout the remainder of the preseason. If he's going to be trusted to be on the floor in an extended capacity, he's got to start by finding that perimeter shot.
Stud - Giannis Antetokounmpo
After missing the last preseason game, Giannis Antetokounmpo was in the starting five against the Los Angeles Lakers, and he didn't disappoint. Though he got off to a slow start and missed several bunnies at the hoop, the Greek Freak quickly found his stride and got going, attacking the rim and playing incredibly aggressively defensively, highlighted by an emphatic block on LeBron James.
In a tick under 20 minutes, all of which came in the first half, Antetokounmpo tallied 20 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks. It was a strong all-around performance from Giannis, who did not let the early rust get to him. It was great to see Giannis and Damian Lillard on the court together as they try to build their chemistry after not getting together over the summer.
Dud - Anzejs Pasecniks
No one truly expected two-way player big man Anzejs Pasecniks to steal the spotlight in his minutes, but he certainly didn't impress. In about 11 minutes, the 7-footer finished with just four points and two rebounds, missing shots at the hoop while struggling to make a name for himself on the glass. There were also three turnovers and three personal fouls next to his name on the stat sheet.
With Pasecniks struggling at the center spot, the Milwaukee Bucks actually turned to Exhibit 10 big man Liam Robbins, who logged 13 minutes and showed some glimpses. If given more minutes in the preseason moving forward, Pasecniks must take advantage of the opportunity and show out as he looks to make a strong impression in the NBA Preseason.
Losing always stings, even in the preseason, but there was certainly some positive takeaways from this contest against the Lakers.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.