Around the Beat: A Healthy Scratch and a Fourth Quarter That…

By the Bucks Nightly Desk · Monday, October 12

Local coverage out of Charlotte settled on three threads this week: a healthy Jakucionis watching from the bench, Herro doing more ball-handling than usual, and a fourth-quarter plan that couldn't repeat the comeback from Oklahoma City. None of it settles anything with the opener nine days off.

Bucks Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

A healthy scratch

Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Jakucionis did not play in Charlotte, his second DNP in three preseason games, and noted he had said before sitting out against Minnesota that he was healthy. Milwaukee's own injury list carries no entry for him, which fits a coaching decision rather than a physical issue. At 20, entering his second season, that is a stretch of bench time worth watching before the opener.

Herro's expanded job

Owczarski also pointed to Journal Sentinel reporting on why Taylor Jenkins has had Herro initiating more offense through camp. Herro led Milwaukee with 18 points in Charlotte but finished with just 2 assists and 7 rebounds in the loss, so the ball-handling role is still more plan than finished product. He averaged 20.5 points and 4.1 assists over 33 games last season, the clearest sign of what Jenkins may be building toward.

Fourth quarter, same result

Owczarski guessed Jenkins was hoping his top group could repeat the comeback that won at Oklahoma City, opening the fourth quarter with Herro, Gary Trent, Kevin Porter, Kyle Kuzma and Myles Turner down 22. Eighteen seconds in, a Hornets basket forced a timeout. Milwaukee's own account of the game backs that up: the Hornets' biggest lead was 24, a gap the Bucks never actually closed.

Bench shuffle

Caris LeVert opened in place of Gary Trent, per Owczarski, and Ousmane Dieng logged his second straight DNP. Kam Jones and Pete Nance drew more run as the game slipped away, which lines up with Nance's own climb to 28.2 minutes a night over his last five outings. None of it is a lineup call yet, just Jenkins testing bodies two days before the preseason finale against Chicago.

Next Milwaukee closes the preseason at home against Chicago on October 14, then at Indiana on October 16, before opening the regular season October 21 at Washington.

Is Jakucionis hurt?

No injury is listed for him. Jim Owczarski reported he has said he is healthy and has simply not played in two of Milwaukee's three preseason games.

Why is Herro bringing the ball up for the Bucks?

Beat reporting out of Milwaukee says Taylor Jenkins has had Herro initiating more offense through camp, though in Charlotte that role produced only 2 assists against 18 points.