The Milwaukee Bucks managed to hold on for a much-needed win over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday. A 23-point lead evaporated quickly, and the Bucks won by just two points, with Pete Nance being the unlikely hero to get the team over the line.
Pete Nance puts together a do-it-all game to help fuel Bucks win
Nance was incredibly impressive and may follow the path of AJ Green and Ryan Rollins, becoming a Milwaukee star who has gone from two-way player to an integral rotation piece. He played 15 minutes in Atlanta, tallying five points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block. What really boosts his case for a spot in the rotation is that the Bucks were +13 with him on the court, with only Green having a higher +/- in the game.
Doc Rivers made a bold call before the game to drop Kevin Porter Jr. to the bench as he tried another lineup change to find some success from the team. With the Bucks struggling at the wing position, Nance has a real chance of tying down a spot in the rotation with Rivers clearly not fancying several players, including Gary Trent Jr., who was a DNP.
Amir Coffey and Andre Jackson Jr. have been out of the rotation for some time, and if the Bucks wanted to go small, Nance is clearly favored over Jericho Sims now, too. Before Monday, he featured against the Minnesota Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs, with both heavy defeats clearly being a catalyst for Rivers to make changes.
In the G League, Nance has played extremely well, and it was only a matter of time before he got a shot in the NBA. He is averaging 21 points, eight rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.3 steals on shooting splits of .517/.400/.857 with the Wisconsin Herd.
It is just one game, but with the Bucks looking to make moves with the team stuck outside the Play-In spots, Nance might slightly quieten the noise around bringing in another big man.
The performance of Nance is a huge positive from what was an extremely tough watch down the stretch. It has raised questions around the playing group, with them struggling to contain a Hawks team that isn't high on confidence themselves. Four of the starting five, including Giannis Antetokounmpo, were a negative to the team when on the court, the complete opposite of what fans have been used to this season.
The most important thing about Monday was the win against a team the Bucks are trying to catch. It wasn't pretty, but the Bucks still have plenty of issues to overcome. Nance provided a glimpse of a player who could benefit the team.