Ranking Milwaukee Bucks’ roster: Battle for rotational minutes

With the Milwaukee Bucks’ tipping off training camp this week, we continue our ranking of players on their roster. We’ve already covered the back part of their roster in two installments here and here. Today, we look at guys battling it out for rotational minutes.

The Bucks have added some new (and old) faces to their rotation this season with the hopes of revamping their bench play. Let’s take a look at the guys coming off the bench and rank them in descending order.

Ranking the Milwaukee Bucks’ roster from 10th to 6th, including the key guys off the bench for the NBA’s defending champions.

10. Rodney Hood

Hood is the ultimate wildcard for Milwaukee. If they get the pre-injury version–he tore his achilles in December of 2019–they got an absolute steal. Back then, he was a versatile scorer who could get buckets from behind the arc and slashing to the rim. He’s also big enough (6-foot-8) to hold his own on the defensive end.

Unfortunately, that injury sapped him of a lot of his athleticism and he hasn’t been the same player since. He’s been a step slow on both ends of the court and hasn’t been able to rediscover his shot. Which version will Milwaukee get?

9. George Hill

The Bucks traded Hill as part of the Jrue Holiday deal, but bring him back one year later as their backup point guard. Hill isn’t going to score a bunch of points, but he will play solid defense, spread the floor (43.75 percent of his threes over the last two years), and handle the ball when necessary. On defense, he can play multiple positions and share the floor with any of the Bucks guards or wings. He won’t play a lot–probably around 20 minutes a night–but will provide some valuable minutes to spell Holiday after a very short offseason.

8. Pat Connaughton

Connaughton has had some huge games over the last few playoff runs and has solidified himself as a key contributor off the bench for Milwaukee. He can play multiple positions from a bigger combo guard to a smaller forward. His effort is contagious and he works hard on defense. His shot may come and go, but he knows where his strengths lie.

7. Grayson Allen

I’m excited to see how Allen fits with this Bucks team. Wisconsin fans may have a sour taste in their mouth based on past experiences with Allen, but he’s a grinder and someone who will work hard every game. He’s not afraid to lay his body on the line and will be a nice fill-in for Donte DiVincenzo until he’s ready to return from injury. Expect Allen to be a major contributor both before and after DiVincenzo’s return.

6. Bobby Portis

Bobby! Bobby! Bobby! Portis returned to Milwaukee by taking yet another huge discount–the legend continues to grow. Late in the playoffs, Portis may have discovered how to be feasible on defense and we’ll see if that carries over into this season. We already know he can score in bunches when needed and that will continue to be important. However, if he can maintain the same defensive intensity and skill level he showed in the NBA Finals, he may be ready to take his game to the next level.