Milwaukee

Bucks

After totaling 19 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists in Milwaukee’s first two games, Kuzma recorded a double-double on Saturday. While there weren’t any defensive stats to speak of, the percentages were good, and those rostering Kuzma will take the points and rebounds. The Bucks play three games during Week 2, starting with the rival Pacers on Monday night.

The past two days reminded everyone why Ware is such a frustrating player to roster in fantasy basketball. After a subpar showing in the Bucks’ loss to the Bulls on Friday, the 7-footer rebounded and produced his best effort of the season’s first week. Ware recorded a complete stat line against the 76ers, including his first double-double of the season. Meanwhile, starting center Myles Turner went scoreless, contributing just five rebounds, one assist and one block in 20 minutes. As a result, the team benched him during the fourth quarter, with Ware picking up those minutes.

Jaquez has started his first season in Milwaukee strong, scoring at least 19 points in each of his first three games. Against the 76ers, he shot over 50 percent from the field and added solid rebound and assist numbers. Jaquez has yet to record a steal or blocked shot this season, but the rebounding and offensive output have been good. Set to hit restricted free agency in the summer, Jaquez is well positioned to deliver top-100 value in category leagues.

Ament made his official NBA debut on Saturday, and unfortunately, it didn’t go well. The rookie missed his lone field-goal attempt and shot 1-of-4 from the foul line, while also picking up five fouls in 11 minutes. Even without LeBron James, Philadelphia isn’t a good matchup for Ament at this stage in his career. But it’s something to build on, and he’ll have plenty of chances to make good on his perceived upside throughout the season.

Jaquez had another excellent game for the Bucks and appears to be one of the big winners in terms of increased fantasy value from the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade. The only drawback on Friday was that he turned the ball over six times after turning it over twice in his Bucks debut.

Not only did Herro lead the Bucks in shots for the second consecutive game, he took twice as many field goal attempts as any of his teammates against the Bulls. Despite the high usage, Herro only had one turnover, which is important for his value in nine-category leagues. If he can continue to control his turnover total, Herro could be in line for the best fantasy season of his career.

He was one of the first players off the bench for the Bucks. Had a tough first half but got better in the second half. He still ended up with five fouls in this game. He likely won’t impact many fantasy leagues this year but in dynasty leagues, it will be something we continue to watch since the Bucks don’t have a surefire star on their roster.

Brayden Burries got into foul trouble early but showed early on that he’s going to be an impactful player. While minutes may not be super present early this season, he is the Bucks best building block on the roster at this moment. He was very productive in the minutes he was given and looks like he belongs on the court already.

Jaime Jaquez got off to a hot start in this game and didn’t look back. He looked comfortable in coach Jenkins’s offense and did a good job getting easy buckets. He was one of three players with over 30 minutes in this game. (Herro, Turner) The Bucks don’t have any established stars on their team, so there’s an opportunity for Jaquez to get more usage than what he got in Miami and be a relevant player in fantasy leagues.

Do not panic on Ryan’s inefficient night. He was second on the team in shot attempts and he will not average 28% from the field. What I am noticing about is how Kasparas closed the game over him and played more minutes. We will continue to monitor the situation, but it wasn’t a good start for Rollins.