The Milwaukee Bucks had a good feel of what life would be like for the next couple of months with Jae Crowder out injured. Milwaukee played their first game without their veteran swingman on Monday against the Chicago Bulls and it was the likes of MarJon Beauchamp and Andre Jackson Jr. who took on Crowder’s recently-vacated minutes.
The sample size may be extremely small thus far, but it’s hard to deny that it’s a promising sight to see for Bucks fans everywhere.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Praises Milwaukee Bucks Youngster
Neither Beauchamp nor Jackson had a mind-blowing performance in Monday’s win against Chicago, but both players made enough of an impact to prove that they are worthy of the opportunity that has been handed to them.
With Crowder expected to be sidelined for at least eight weeks, Beauchamp and Jackson will see an uptick in their playing time in the interim. For Bucks talisman Giannis Antetokounmpo, he is confident that these two young studs have what it takes:
“At the end of the day, both of them, they just, they cannot lose,” Antetokounmpo said, via Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “The attitude they have, they cannot lose. They work extremely hard when nobody’s here, when the lights are not on in the practice facility. When they get the work in, they work extremely hard. When they go out there and they have the opportunity, they play extremely hard. They’re extremely coachable — both of those guys.”
The biggest silver lining of Crowder’s unfortunate situation is the fact that the Bucks will get to test their young prospects early in the season. Both Beauchamp and Jackson have been working hard to prepare themselves for this eventuality. Now it’s time to step up to the plate.
Giannis Sees Himself in Beauchamp, Jackson
Antetokounmpo is adamant that his two young teammates are going to make a strong impact on the team sooner rather than later. In fact, the former back-to-back MVP admits that he sees himself in Beauchamp and Jackson — except that they’re now in a more advanced stage in their respective careers as compared to when Giannis was once in their shoes:
“So, it’s a matter of time for them to blossom into the players that they’re gonna be,” Giannis continued. “I’m excited to see what the future holds for them. And I definitely remember myself. I don’t know, they’re way more ahead of me as a rookie, as a sophomore like when I was a rookie. If I saw myself at 18, I don’t know if I would’ve drafted myself. I don’t know if I would’ve put myself in a game, but it’s the same thing. I had the same mentality. I wanted to work. I was coachable and I was willing to sacrifice and do whatever it took for me to help the team win.”
“… I think it’s very important to kind of step up and do what they do, bring good energy, make good plays for the team. Now, obviously, in no shape or form are we going to want them to fill Jae’s shoes. We just want them to be themselves. Being MarJon and being Andre, it’s enough. They’re going to help our team tremendously and I’m happy that both of these guys — because they work extremely hard — that they will get the opportunity to be out there, get minutes and do what they do. So I’m definitely excited for them.”
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