Bucks Buzz: January 2nd - Young Core Emerging

Every week Mitch Pratt and Charlie Tritschler talk about the Milwaukee Bucks. Charlie handles the weekend games while Mitch handles the games during the week.  We are both members of the tank.

Quick Recap: Tuesday at Los Angeles Lakers (W 94-79)

Let me preface this by saying that while I watched as much as I could, I don't necessarily remember any of it. Let's just say that I had consumed a few sodas by the time tip-off (9:30 PM Central) rolled around and it only got worse by the time the game ended. Shout out to Horny Goat Hideaway for NYE festivities.

As much as I want to give credit to the Bucks for playing arguably their best game of the season, we have to consider how bad the Lakers are. Granted, I'm not afraid to say that the Lakers may be better without the legendary Kobe Bryant in the lineup. At the very least, they have better chemistry without him in the lineup at this moment. The Lakers have done a good job of building a tank roster while Kobe is out but these guys are playing above their heads. Nick "Swaggy P" Young is scoring at a nice rate for his hometown team and guys like Xavier Henry and Kendall Marshall are getting pretty heavy minutes for Mike D'antoni. Those are the kinds of players you add if you're not looking to win. You take a flyer on young(er) guys who haven't panned out for their first team or two and see what they have. It's really a win-win situation.

Now, over to the Bucks. Brandon Knight had a great game scoring but continues to show that he's not a starting caliber point guard in the NBA. I'm not saying that's necessarily a bad thing and I don't want him off the team or anything, it's just that he's possibly the biggest tank driver right now not named Caron Butler, Gary Neal or OJ Mayo. He's simply playing the wrong role if you plan on winning with him on your team. He's probably best suited in a Jamal Crawford/Jason Terry role. That is, he'd be best off to come in off the bench as a sixth or seventh man as a combo guard and put up some points for you. He has a little too much tunnel vision to be an effective NBA point guard.

Easily the most puzzling/concerning thing about this game is that Khris Middleton was removed from the starting lineup and only played 17 minutes. Sure, the Bucks won the game but that's not the main purpose for the Bucks this season. Middleton is a guy that's emerging as a key part of this young core that continues to show flashes. His playing time is pretty crucial. He's not a flashy player but fans really like how he lets the game come to him. Going forward, I'd love to see him as the sixth man/3 and D guy that holds the team together. Here's to hoping Middleton plays more tonight in Utah.

Appropriate YouTube video: Giannis with the putback

I couldn't not mention Giannis Antetokounmpo. He continues to impact games (at least a little) every night. He had 11 rebounds Tuesday night. Here's one of them. And it's actually not offensive interference, sir.

Links

Here's a link to an article on Bleacher Report on why the Bucks should take Jabari Parker if they land the #1 pick. Knock on wood but I totally agree.

This is a piece from HoopsRumors.com that cites Fox Sports Ohio's Sam Amico as a source saying the Bucks are open to trading defensive anchor Larry Sanders.While there might be some truth to this (I don't think he's untouchable for the right offer), Amico is not exactly Adrian Wojnarowski when it comes to credibility and mutual respect among his peers. Take what he "reports" with a grain of salt. I really don't want to see Sanders get traded but if the right offer came along, I'd at least listen if I were John Hammond.

What to watch

Luke Ridnour was inserted into the starting lineup against the Lakers and we'll see what happens with him going forward. I'm hoping his sudden increase in playing time is to showcase him for a potential trade. Again, playing the youth needs to be a priority at this point. Middleton needs to play more than 17 minutes.

Here's the young core I'd like to keep going foward:

Knight, Antetokounmpo, Middleton, Henson, and Sanders. Everyone else is expendable at this point.

What's next?

The Bucks are in Salt Lake City tonight to take on the Jazz as two of the largest tanks in the NBA will square off. The Bucks will be without John Henson yet again as he's expected to miss two weeks with a high ankle sprain. They then will be in the Valley of the Sun to take on Phoenix on Saturday night. The Suns are the surprise story of the year with their 19-11 record and are set up well for the future to boot.