Heading into Monday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin said that he will be relying on the likes of MarJon Beauchamp and Andre Jackson Jr. to fill the void that Jae Crowder has left now that he’s going to be out for the next two months.
Crowder will undergo surgery on his groin injury and will be sidelined for a significant chunk of the season. It appears that the Bucks will take a committee approach in filling Crowder’s minutes, with Beauchamp and Jackson both taking center stage.
Milwaukee Bucks Youngsters Step Up
With a tremendous opportunity in front of them, both Beauchamp and Jackson stepped up to the plate on Monday night.
Beauchamp came off the bench to play 20 minutes. The second-year forward logged eight points on 3-of-7 shooting, to go along with two triples, five boards, two assists, a steal, and a block.
Jackson, who was celebrating his 22nd birthday on Monday, managed five points and three rebounds in 13 minutes. Despite the modest numbers, the rookie provided great energy off the bench, battling for boards and putting up some formidable defense on the opposite end.
Damian Lillard Praises Young Teammates
After Milwaukee’s 118-109 win, Damian Lillard was asked to share his thoughts on Milwaukee’s youngsters coming up big in the team’s first game without Crowder. Dame had nothing but good things to say about Beauchamp and Jackson:
“Tonight they came in and they’re taking advantage of the opportunity,” Lillard said, via Gabe Stoltz of Brew Hoop. “I think usually with young players in this league, you see them come in confused and they don’t really know what to do out there. You probably make more mistakes as a young player than any other time because it’s new. You don’t really know the game. You don’t really know personnels — a lot of things to learn.
“But ‘Dre is a pretty smart rookie. He understands our coverages. A lot of the times, when he’s on the floor, he’s having a positive impact on the game. He understands what he’s out there to do. I think that’s really impressive for a rookie.
“So him and Champ, the size, the length that they both have on the perimeter and what they can do on both ends of the floor is really good for our team, especially when they can come out there and play like they played tonight.”
Dame hit the nail on the head here.
There’s going to be a lot of growing pains for these young men moving forward, no doubt, but so long as they stay on the right track, Beauchamp and Jackson can both have very bright futures in the league.
For More Wisconsin Sports:
Follow me on Twitter at @PaoloSongcoNBA, and follow us @WiSportsHeroics. Also, check out our Merchandise Here! Get 20% off with the code “WSH.” You can also reach out to Paolo Songco via email at pao.songco@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Wisconsin sports, click here! Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Bucks, Wisconsin Badgers.
