With so many injuries and absences, Doc Rivers has been forced to dive deep into his bench lately when piecing together rotations for the Milwaukee Bucks.
They have already been without Damian Lillard, Jericho Sims and Bobby Portis, but things were even more challenging against the New Orleans Pelicans, with the tandem of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Pat Connaughton also scratched. Rivers had to dive deep into his bag of tricks to distribute minutes, which resulted in calling on a player who hasn't seen much action as a Buck.
Bucks' Pete Nance gets his time to shine in win over Pelicans
With so many absences bogging down the frontcourt, many wondered what approach Rivers could take when Brook Lopez was catching his breath. To give Milwaukee some size, Rivers called upon a newer Buck, 6-foot-11 forward Pete Nance. After playing a combined 13 minutes in all of his games with the Bucks to this point, the two-way big man logged 14 minutes against New Orleans.
Though Nance didn't have the gaudiest stat line - finishing with two points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal, he clearly made his mark by doing all of the little things. With Ryan Rollins driving towards the hoop, a cutting Nance got a nice layup to break a fourth-quarter tie. On the glass, Pete Nance was authoritative, doing his part to fill the void in Giannis Antetokounmpo's absence.
This was a perfect example of a player embracing the "next man up" mentality. The two-way big man had an opportunity to showcase himself, and he capitalized. Now, if Doc Rivers needs to fill a handful of frontcourt minutes here or there, he knows he can call on Nance to fill in. He showcased glimpses of potential against New Orleans, and more could certainly become unearthed in time.
Upon Giannis Antetokounmpo's return, Nance will likely go back to being Milwaukee's break glass in case of emergency big man, but his development will be worth keeping an eye on.
Partially thanks to Nance stepping up, the Milwaukee Bucks managed to secure a 111-107 victory in New Orleans. Gary Trent Jr. poured in a season-high 29 points, while Kevin Porter Jr. and Brook Lopez each dropped 20 points apiece. With the Bucks still fighting for positioning in the standings, this was a big win, as they've now won four in a row.
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