Should the Bucks bring back Meyers Leonard? Or go with Tacko Fall?
It is official, Brook Lopez is back. He’ll be the starting center for Milwaukee. Bobby Portis, again, will most likely be the first off the bench. He usually steps in then for Lopez. So to truly answer the question posed by the title of this article the actual answer is Bobby Portis. Lopez, in the regular season usually plays around 28 minutes per game. (He averages 30 minutes a game in his career.)

So when Lopez is out and Portis is out, there is a huge space for a third big. That was supposed to be Serge Ibaka. We all know that story did not end well.
Which way should the Bucks go if these are the two main options at back-up center? Should the Bucks go with Tacko Fall or Meyers Leonard? Who gives the team the best chance to win if Brook Lopez and Portis are out?
Milwaukee’s Center Meyers Leonard has been around quite a bit this offseason, establishing some face time in the Milwaukee community. Tacko Fall has also been a starter for the Bucks in summer league play.
Related: Summer League Game 2 Recap

Tacko Fall’s History (Taller than Lopez)
The 27-yr old went undrafted in the 2019 draft. He then signed with Boston.
At 7’6” Fall is one of the tallest players in the NBA. He is also one of the tallest people in the world. Fall is the same height as former NBA stars Yao Ming and Shawn Bradley.
It is because of his size that Fall is such an intriguing prospect. (You can’t coach height!) When he plays, which even in the summer league was not a ton- no more than 18 minutes in any game- he really clogs up the paint.
Tacko Fall is a big, big man. His presence in summer basketball was obvious. He does not run the pick-n-roll particularly well. But he can score. Fall never played a ton in summer league action which made me wonder if he wasn’t in great shape? Or, maybe GM Jon Horst has already made up his mind that Fall is his guy?
He simply plays more like a traditional, old-school NBA center.
Against the Kings, Fall had five rebounds in just ten minutes of play. Fall also started at center against Denver. The 7’6” center had quite the presence in the paint. He really took up a ton of space and helped the defense. He also scored 4 points, making 4 free throws. Fall only played six minutes in the loss (92-71) to the Nets. In that game he had a block, four points and three rebounds. In just six minutes!
Leonard’s Career with the Bucks ( Lopez-like?)
According to Sporttrac Leonard remains an unrestricted free agent for the 2023-2024 season.
Leonard played in nine games for the Bucks, starting in two. He averaged 4.8 points a game. He did rebound the basketball well, averaging 3.8 boards in 12 minutes of playing time. His 7’1” frame served him well when he played, helping clog the lane and protect the rim. Interestingly enough, he has always been known to do the opposite of that and in Miami, tended to function more around the perimeter. With Milwaukee he shot close to 39% from three.
He also did have a respectable field goal percentage (48.3%).
Leonard played twice in the playoffs, logging 5 minutes.
Leonard was a somewhat controversial signing by Milwaukee at time based-off a suspension he had received for using a ethnic slur.
Potential Reigns Supreme in the NBA
Maybe the better question to ask is, “with more playing time, would Leonard or Fall give the team the best chance to win?
Or even better yet, based-off the new offensive system coach Adrian Griffin plans to implement, can a big body like Tacko Fall really make a difference? Fall’s production in the summer league was impressive to say the least.
The 27-year old Fall seems to have more potential to be able to chew up more regular season minutes that Leonard. Did the Bucks staff purposely play him “less”, knowing he had already won that coveted third big man roster spot?
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