It doesn't matter how they get it done, so long as they get it done. That's the message Bucks head coach Taylor Jenkins sent on Monday evening when Milwaukee announced an unexpected change to the starting lineup shortly before opening tip-off.
Brayden Burries makes his first NBA start. pic.twitter.com/RCeQGAleZc
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) November 3, 2026
Rookie Brayden Burries was added to the starting five in place of guard Ryan Rollins, who shot 34.2% from the field and 27.3% from 3-point range in six rough starts to begin the season. Burries himself hasn't been hyper-efficient either, adding 8.8 points per game off the bench on 47.1% FG and 29.4% 3P, but his effort and energy were palpable in every minute off the pine.
Whether this is a permanent shift for Rollins and Burries remains to be seen — although it's hard to imagine Rollins losing his starting role without a chance to compete for it first. Regardless of that answer, this is less about the individual players and more about where the team currently stands.
Milwaukee doesn't have its first-round draft pick this year, and won't have complete control of its own draft destiny until 2031. That means a traditional rebuild isn't really an option, so Milwaukee has to manufacture a new-look era within its means — no matter what it requires or looks like to get there.
If that means benching your starting point guard to send a message, so be it.
The Milwaukee Bucks are in an experimentation era, and that's what's best for the team.
There's a strong chance that at some point down the line, we'll get to see Burries and Rollins paired alongside each other in the backcourt for extended stretches. Both listed between 6-foot-3 and 6-foot-4, their builds are similar, their three-level scoring upside is tantalizing, and they both have the capacity to defend both guard positions when fully engaged. It would be shocking if we didn't see that at some point this season.
But for the moment, they can't afford it, because there aren't any other guards who are showing a strong aptitude for competing for every possession on both sides of the floor. It's been a tough go-around for Kasparas Jakučionis thus far, despite flashes of brilliance peering through a sea of questionable on-court decisions and missed defensive rotations, and there aren't any other viable guard options to lean on.
By shifting Burries into the starting lineup, Jenkins sent a message to everyone on the team that if they're not able to meet the bar he sets, they're not entitled to their starting positions. It should make Burries better, force Rollins out of his shell, and hopefully remind the rest of the lineup that if they don't bring their A-Game every day, it'll all be for naught.
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