Taurean Prince delivers exactly what Bucks fans have been asking for

The Milwaukee Bucks finally found the win column on Sunday, taking home a 134-123 victory over the Pacers. The win itself means little to their all but extinguished playoff hopes, but it was nice to see Taurean Prince make an impact in just his fourth game back following November neck surgery. He gave the Bucks exactly the combination of size and shooting they need more of at the wing position. 

Healthy Prince gives Bucks wings a valuable boost

Prince finished the day with a season-high 13 points on 3-for-5 shooting from distance and 5-for-7 overall. In 22 minutes, he added two rebounds, two assists, and a steal. He led Bucks reserves easily with a plus-13 in the box score. Only Ryan Rollins and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who left in the third period after tweaking his knee, posted a higher differential. 

Having Prince available came in handy with Ousmane Dieng out for a second straight game due to illness. He doesn't have Dieng's length or playmaking ability, of course, but he does offer size and a reliable shooting stroke. 

It also made Doc Rivers' decision for him regarding Gary Trent Jr., who logged another DNP. Lately, he has been in and out of the rotation as Rivers scrambles for some form of bench production from someone not named Bobby Portis. Cam Thomas, ice cold since a scorching start in Milwaukee, recorded a DNP as well. 

In addition to providing an upgrade in stature over Trent or AJ Green, Prince converted his 3-point attempts. When he has played, Trent has been dreadful since the trade deadline. Even Green has struggled to get up good volume during that span, though he had a productive game against Indiana (12 points on 4-for-7 from deep). 

TP has earned an opportunity for continued playing time

Whatever other knocks there are on Prince, he has been an incredibly consistent shooter in his Bucks career. In 12 games this year, he is shooting 43.6 percent, compared to 43.9 percent last season in 80 games. Although he has shown understandable rust, he also had a decent outing against Miami last week: 2-for-3 from distance for eight points. 

How much burn Prince gets down the stretch remains to be seen. Notably, he has played at least 12 minutes every game since his return. Clearly, at least in Dieng's absence, Rivers sees him as a useful rotation piece. 

It would not be surprising if the soon-to-be 32-year-old returns to the Bucks next season. After missing most of the year, Prince picking up his $3.8 million player option in 2026-27 makes more sense. 

For now, we'll root for him to finish 2025-26 on a high note.