3 Bucks Whose Stock is Rising After First Month of NBA Season

2. Andre Jackson Jr.

The Bucks’ youth movement has been more of a whisper than a roar in recent years, but Andre Jackson Jr. might finally be changing that tune. For a team that’s been dying off the fumes of past draft success, Jackson Jr.’s emergence as a rotation player is a welcome surprise—and possibly a lifeline.

After logging fewer than nine minutes in each of Milwaukee’s first four games, head coach Doc Rivers made a bold move: inserting Jackson Jr. into the rotation and then the starting lineup. It’s the kind of leap of faith this franchise has desperately needed, and Jackson Jr. has rewarded it in spades.

The rookie’s athleticism and motor have been game-changers for a team that often looked lethargic early in the season. He’s a Tasmanian devil on defense, disrupting passing lanes, hounding ball-handlers, and flying all over the court. His willingness to do the dirty work has provided the perfect counterbalance to the superstar flair of Antetokounmpo and Lillard.

The impact is clear. Per Cleaning the Glass, Milwaukee allows 11.8 fewer points per 100 possessions when Jackson Jr. is on the court—the second-best mark on the team behind Brook Lopez. His defensive versatility, with the ability to guard positions 1 through 4, gives the Bucks a level of switchability they’ve sorely missed.

Offense remains the area for growth. While Jackson Jr. is hitting a respectable 40 percent of his threes, he attempts just 1.6 per game, and opposing defenses still sag off him. But he’s learning to exploit that extra space, and even marginal improvement on this end could solidify his place as a cornerstone player.