The Bucks’ rotation looks different after the trade deadline
Andre Jackson Jr. has started a majority of games this year for the Milwaukee Bucks but has recently seen his minutes disappear, prompting questions and speculation about a possible injury. But that’s not the reason.
“We brought in other guys that I think fill his role,” coach Doc Rivers said recently to reporters. “His numbers were not great, especially with Giannis on the floor.”
Jackson Jr., a high-flying defensive specialist in his second year out of UConn, started 43 of 46 games between early November and mid-February. That streak abruptly stopped with the team’s win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Feb. 20.
In the six most recent games, Jackson Jr. has not played at all in three and seen a total of five minutes of action in the other three. The team has won five of those six games, including wins over Western Conference stalwarts in the Clippers, Denver Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks.
Rivers credited the team’s new trade additions, including shooting guard Kevin Porter Jr. and versatile forward Kyle Kuzma, with filling the defensive and sparkplug roles that belonged to Jackson Jr.
What the new guys also bring is offensive production. Jackson Jr. never found a role as a scorer, averaging 3.7 points a game this season in 16.5 minutes. Porter Jr. has given the team 8.4 points a game in 15 minutes off the bench. Kuzma is averaging 14.8 points in 34 minutes as a starter.
Rivers emphasized that Jackson Jr., 23, will see minutes through the rest of the regular season when matchups make sense. The team needs all the bench help it can get as they play shorthanded while Bobby Portis sits out his league-mandated suspension for performance enhancing drug use.
February was a particularly harsh month for Jackson Jr. The demotion was bad enough. But it was accompanied by an appearance in the NBA Slam Dunk contest that, well, didn’t go as planned.
Next up: the Bucks play the Atlanta Hawks on the road Tuesday night, then return home for a Wednesday night tilt against the Dallas Mavericks.
