Even before the meeting against Jazz, the journalist Chris Haynes had announced the color: the sophomore Andre Jackson Jr would replace Gary Trent Jr in the 5 major of the Bucks. The catastrophic start of Milwaukee (1 victory for 6 defeats) certainly motivated this decision by the coaching staff. But not only that. The defensive weakness of the backcourt Damian Lillard – Gary Trent Jr also rushed things. Since the start of the season, the combination of the two players (189 minutes) costs the Bucks -8.4 points per 100 possessions. Milwaukee is in 21st place in terms of Defensive Ratingan unworthy ranking for a contender. Granted, sophomore Andre Jackson Jr doesn’t have the same firepower as Trent Jr behind the arc, but he contributes in other areas of the game like rebounding, multi-position defense and even some playmaking.
The Bucks’ easy victory against the Jazz will perhaps consolidate their place in the starting five. In recent days, Jackson Jr’s timing has been constantly increasing, going from 4 minutes in the first two games to 40 minutes in the two confrontations against Cleveland. Against Utah, the guard brought back a rather clean record with 7 points on 3/4 shots, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 interceptions in 28 minutes. His defensive activity can be the ideal complement to Damian Lillard, who is little concerned on this side of the floor. Before knowing if Jackson Jr will be returned to the starting role, it has already been validated by Giannis Antetokounmpo himself :
It brings energy. He plays hard, he defends against the best opposing player. We play faster with him. He was incredible tonight. We really need it. We need that spark and we need to keep playing with that energy.
Asked at the end of the match about this change in rotation, Doc Rivers is not yet committed to the long term. He declares that he made this move to allow Gary Trent Jr to gradually regain confidence (23.1% 3-point success on 5.6 attempts). Against Utah, the former Raptor only played 8 minutes for two small points scored.
