Milwaukee’s starting center scored zero points on 0-of-4 shooting and sat the fourth quarter. The 22-year-old backup who came over in the Giannis trade posted 19 points and 13 rebounds and stayed on the floor. In a 127-116 loss at Philadelphia that dropped the Bucks to 0-3, the minutes told a clearer story than the final score. Myles Turner scoreless is the headline. Kel’el Ware is the question mark it raises.
Myles Turner Goes Scoreless: What the Numbers Show
Turner played just under 20 minutes. He grabbed five rebounds, with one assist and one block, committed three turnovers and four fouls, missed both of his threes and both of his tries inside, and finished minus-16. Ware, who came off the bench, played 29 minutes and scored 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 2-of-5 from three and a perfect 5-of-5 at the line. He pulled down 13 rebounds, five of them offensive, blocked two shots and finished plus-4, per the CBS Sports box score. It was his first double-double of the season. When the fourth quarter arrived, Turner stayed on the bench and Ware picked up his minutes.
Ware’s Minutes Just Doubled
The most telling number isn’t a point total. Ware played 14 minutes in the opener, where he fouled out in a 128-116 loss to Washington, and 15 in Friday’s 132-125 home loss to the Bulls. Saturday he got 29. Turner, meanwhile, played 32 minutes against the Wizards. Taylor Jenkins said before the season he wanted an 11-man rotation with players logging 20 to 25 minutes, so Turner’s 20 on Saturday fits the plan on paper. But four fouls limited him, and Bucks Talk’s Justin Garcia wondered whether Jenkins was simply rewarding Ware and the young group. At one point in the second quarter, all five Bucks on the floor had three or fewer years of NBA service time, and Jenkins was greeting them excitedly at timeouts.
The $107 Million Problem
Turner signed a four-year, $107 million deal with Milwaukee last year, to be a scorer and rim protector. Three games in, he’s played like neither. Brew Hoop gave him an F for his defense in the opener, and he struggled to contain Joel Embiid, who had a triple-double with 28 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. The Bucks outrebounded Philadelphia by 22, 62-40 by player rebounds, and still lost because they turned it over 22 times to Philadelphia’s 11, and the Sixers hit 19 threes. Ware’s work on the glass wasn’t the problem. A starter who isn’t scoring or protecting the rim is.
One scoreless night isn’t a demotion. Jenkins hasn’t suggested a change, and Brew Hoop’s idea that Jericho Sims could start Monday against the Pacers is billed as an overreaction. But coaches go with the guy who’s playing better. Right now, in Milwaukee, that’s the one who came back in the Giannis trade.
Myles Turner Scoreless Night Hands Kel’el Ware the Bucks’ Big Minutes