Brandon Miller wants the toughest job on both ends, Charles Lee said after Charlotte's Oct. 11 game: "He wants to guard the best player. He wants to continue to be in an offensive action so that he can be a playmaker." Lee said the team will keep pushing him, no ceiling.
Naz Reid's role is set to grow in Charlotte. Charles Lee said after the Oct. 11 game he wants to "leverage the versatility that he has" and "push him to another level with some of that maybe mid-post, post-up versus disadvantages" — working him against mismatches.
Sion James is Charlotte's point guard right now, Brandon Miller said postgame: James brings the ball up, and on the other end "he guards, you know, everybody's best player." That puts running the offense and the toughest defensive matchup on one player.
Brandon Miller, back from a contusion and growing into Charlotte's number-one option, credited finding what he likes to do and that "the team trusts me to... go out there and perform the way I do." Since defenses won't help off him, they feed Naz Reid in the post often.
Myles Turner had five blocks, and Bucks coach Taylor Jenkins wants more. He said Turner is in a good place and expects him to keep improving as Milwaukee unlocks his elite rim protection: "The blocked shots are awesome, but can he just be a presence that deters?"
Brandon Miller is back for Charlotte after a rehab stint. Charles Lee gave no status detail pregame, only: "he's done a great job... preparing his mind, preparing his body for this opportunity." Injuries may have put some "in positions that they shouldn't be in," Lee said.
Ryan Rollins fouled out of the Bucks' preseason opener but recalibrated in game two, Taylor Jenkins said, and he shouldn't lose that defensive edge while Milwaukee grows his offense. "We know Ryan's at his best when he's a great point-of-attack defender. He's a disruptor."
Nate Ament was the only Bucks player who did not practice. Imaging showed "nothing overly concerning," Taylor Jenkins said, with a timeline expected within about 24 hours. "He's aiming to play opening night," and the team will "do everything possible the next 2 weeks."
Rookie Brayden Burries has been handling the ball for most of Milwaukee Bucks practices, with guard Kevin Porter Jr coaching him through it. "I try to have him on ball most of practice so I can talk him through some things," Porter said.
"I feel like I'm the strongest I've been," Kevin Porter Jr said after offseason surgery, his first. The Bucks guard says it deepened his appreciation for the game and predicts "the best year for me individually." He cited "what happened to" rookie Nate Ament, no status given.