Which players on the Bucks roster will be a part of their regular rotation, and what will their roles be?
STARTERS
PG Jrue Holiday
SG Grayson Allen
SF Khris Middleton
PF Giannis Antetokounnmpo
C Brook Lopez
BENCH ROTATION
Pat Connaughton
George Hill
Wesley Matthews
Bobby Portis
DEEP BENCH – VETERANS
Thanasis Antetokounmpo
Jevon Carter
Serge Ibaka
Joe Ingles
Sandro Mamukelashvili
Jordan Nwora
DEEP BENCH – DEVELOPING YOUTH
Marjon Beauchamp
AJ Green
LIKELY TO BE WAIVED
Marques Bolden
Luca Vildoza
Lindell Wigginton
POSITION BATTLE
The Bucks are stacked – a surefire championship contender with a clear hierarchy and defined roles. The questions regarding their rotation are more likely to surface at the end of the year. Joe Ingles is expected to return from his injury after the All-Star break, and if he is anywhere close to what he used to be then the team will want to find minutes for him. This will likely be at the expense of Wes Matthews.
Sandro Mamukelashvili and Jordan Nwora each showed promise last year in what limited opportunities they received. If their games continue to develop they might be able to take minutes from older veterans like George Hill and Serge Ibaka, especially when the Bucks slide Giannis to center and play a smaller and more versatile lineup.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Khris Middleton has not only been recovering from the injury he suffered during the postseason but he also had offseason wrist surgery. The Bucks need Middleton to return at full strength if they hope to make another run at a championship. While Middleton won’t be quite ready when the season starts, it shouldn’t be too long before he is back in the lineup. There’s no reason to think that he won’t be able to produce at the same level as he has over the past couple of years.
MarJon Beauchamp is the one young player on the Bucks roster that has a very high upside. With so many veterans in a fixed rotation, Beauchamp’s game opportunities may be limited to garbage time. However, if all of a sudden his minutes increase or we see him on the court at the end of close games, that could be a sign that the team is seeing him do enough in practice and behind the scenes that they just can no longer afford to keep him glued to the bench. Getting anything at all from Beauchamp this year would have to be viewed at as an unexpected luxury.