Milwaukee Bucks · 7 notes
Nate Ament went through everything in the Bucks' Oct. 19 contact practice, and Taylor Jenkins will see how he responds on Oct. 20. The G League hasn't even come up: "right now I want him thinking about carving out a rotational spot for us." Everyone else was available.
Rather than trim everyone's minutes, Taylor Jenkins sits a few Bucks each preseason game so players are built up to 20 to 25 minutes a night. Even so, for the preseason finale against Indiana: "I doubt everyone gets to regular season minutes." Nate Ament alone missed camp.
Bucks coach Taylor Jenkins hopes Tyler Herro, out sick Oct. 13, is back Oct. 14. Nate Ament is moving more in the half court but still "constrained" — "positive progress," Jenkins said. AJ Green's knee, hurt against Minnesota, "feels good"; he's in knee pads and "good to go."
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."
"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.
At Oklahoma City on Oct. 7, Bucks coach Taylor Jenkins expects to work in some of Kasparas Jakucionis, Ousmane Dieng and Bogoljub Markovic ("Not sure if it'll be all the guys") and will settle it with staff on the flight. Nate Ament is due minutes, but "later in the game."
Nate Ament's preseason debut for the Bucks opened with a catch-and-shoot 3 and a putback off a missed shot. "It was a dream come true. Something I've been waiting for ever since I picked up the basketball," he said. He felt comfortable with the speed but tired late.
Kam Jones, on a two-way deal, called a possible G League assignment to Oshkosh "just the next opportunity." With guards crowded, he pitched himself as a "plug-and-play guy" whose biggest edge is defense. Caris LeVert said rookie Nate Ament "has surprised a lot of people."