Bucks vs. Nets Preview: The Last One That Doesn’t Count

Preseason basketball is weird enough, but the Milwaukee Bucks are in a somehow stranger place. After the introductory exhibition, the team took off for Abu Dhabi for a pair of contests against the Hawks, and after their return they’re now on the second night of a preseason back-to-back...with 8 days before opening the season against Philly next week.

I don’t even know, man. But let’s go!

Where We’re At

The Bucks are a mess in the preseason, but they’re also not themselves. Giannis Antetokounmpo has played in one game, Khris Middleton has played in none, and they rested almost as many players as they had available last night!

There’s only so much that can be gleaned from an exhibition game that doesn’t include /checks notes your entire rotation, minus Bobby Portis who still didn’t play! If you’re looking for any sort of meaningful insights or takeaways leading into this year, last night’s game misses the mark. Hey, speaking of missing the mark...

It’s preseason, it’s whatever, but the clip of Ben Simmons casually taking a jump shot and missing everything? It’s as good as it gets.

Player To Watch

Will acting head coach Charles Lee play anyone of consequence tonight? Considering this is the team’s last dress rehearsal before the opener next Thursday, we sure hope that they at least try to get some in-game reps. Then again, the whole story of the offseason is continuity, and only one of the two newcomers (MarJon Beauchamp, who is a rookie) is even available to play with the rest of the regular crew (minus Middleton, who remains out while recovering from wrist surgery).

If not, let’s watch Lindell Wigginton, Luca Vildoza, and Sandro Mamukelashvili do stuff. It’s sort of like Summer League, but better production value!