With the imminent waiving of two Bucks players to get the roster down to 15 regular contracts and three two-way players, I wanted to take stock of where each of Andre Jackson Jr., Amir Coffey, Tyler Smith,
and Chris Livingston stands. With Thanasis all but assured to make the team for obvious reasons, these other four players are competing for the final two spots on the roster. In this article, I argue the reasons for and against each player making the roster. Let’s run it.
Andre Jackson Jr.
Why he will make the roster
You could argue that AJax should make the roster because, unlike Chris Livingston and Tyler Smith, he has demonstrated a bona fide NBA skill with his defensive ability. Moreover, that ability is something the Bucks have sorely needed in the past (though perhaps not this season, with recruits and the rise of players like Ryan Rollins, which could work to his detriment). We know there is an added emphasis on ball pressure this season, and Andre is a damn good theoretical fit in such a scheme. Additionally, he has also shown himself to be an excellent teammate who genuinely loves seeing his teammates succeed, which shouldn’t go unnoticed; you need good people to instill a good culture.
Why he won’t make the roster
If the game were played on one end of the floor, Jackson might be an All-Star! Problem is, it’s not. As I’ve said before, Jackson has been approaching dead-end territory on offence for a while now, and he really did nothing over the preseason to dissuade those concerns. Lineup data did not stack up favourably to Andre last season because he forces the team to change the way it is playing to survive having a player out there who is, for all intents and purposes, a 6’6” centre on offence. Additionally, the Bucks extending the guarantee date on Jackson’s contract could be a sign that his time in the Cream City is coming to an end.
Amir Coffey
Why he will make the roster
First and foremost, Amir Coffey is a small forward, a position of need for the Bucks. Secondly, Coffey has proven to be a serviceable player during his time with the LA Clippers as a three-and-D wing, shooting about 40% from deep throughout his career. He is easily the most accomplished player of the bunch, and the Bucks are trying to win now. If nothing else, Amir is a nice depth piece and injury insurance if someone goes down. He’s meat and potatoes, the ol’ reliable; you generally know what you’re going to get. Plus, not for nothing, but Doc answered a question from Brew Hoop’s own Van Fayaz following the Chicago game that seemed to assume he’d be on the regular roster:
“There will be nights where we can’t go with three guards [in the starting five], where we go with a Kuz, Amir, or TP”
Why he won’t make the roster
Firstly, Coffey is very easy to cut because he’s on a training camp deal; the Bucks don’t have any long-term money tied up in him. Now, I know most fans assumed they just signed him to that deal to get him through preseason and that he would eventually take someone else’s as a rostered player. But what if that was never the plan, or what if Horst changes his mind? We should note that Amir hasn’t exactly been lighting the world on fire in preseason action. I get that his minutes have been somewhat limited, but he hasn’t shot the ball well or been able to create for teammates; I think the defence has been fine? I don’t know, I guess I expected him to slot right in and maybe even be better than some of the rotation guys, but he’s looked more like an outsider than I thought.
Tyler Smith
Why he will make the roster
I’m sure the front office would have loved Tyler to show more growth than he’s shown thus far through Summer League and in his limited preseason minutes, but he presumably would have less pressure to be “ready” than AJax or Coffey would, given his age. In other words, the front office might view Smith as a long-term project who was always going to take time, rather than a guy who must contribute soon. He also has one more year of guaranteed money before his contract turns non-guaranteed. As I’ve written before, I believe in Tyler’s long-term viability as a shooter (if nothing else), and the allure of that “NBA skill” might be enticing enough for Jon Horst to give him another year in the system. Plus, there is the angle of the front office not wanting to “admit failure” if another relatively high draft pick doesn’t pan out.
Why he won’t make the roster
Simply put, Tyler hasn’t really shown much progress since being taken early in the second round and, well, time’s a wastin’. Smith’s body is obviously his biggest weakness right now, but he also hasn’t gotten much better at anything else, either. His processing speed is still pretty slow, his off-the-bounce game remains basically non-existent, and his defence needs a lot of work. Tyler is the least accomplished player in terms of NBA production on this list, and at some point, potential must turn into production. At what point do the Bucks lose patience?
Chris Livingston
Why he will make the roster
My best argument for why Chris Livingston should make the roster is that he outperforms Tyler Smith in production (though at lower levels), and Andre Jackson’s contract situation could mean he is more likely to be cut. Additionally, we know the drama that came this offseason regarding CL being cut and then re-signed to a one-year, fully guaranteed contract. That means that if the team does cut bait, they’ll have to pay out a full year’s worth of salary. And not for nothing, but Chris has shown some new stuff in his game this preseason. He has always been quite boxy in his movement patterns, and so I was pleased to see him making a few pull-up jumpers against the Heat. He could not do that in previous years, which shows growth and an understanding of where he needed to improve. CL also has an NBA body, which should theoretically help him on defence, at the very least.
Why he won’t make the roster
I know I just complimented Livingston on his progress in adding some fluidity to his game, but we are talking baby steps here. Making a few pull-up jumpers in preseason is a far cry from being able to do it in proper games regularly, let alone make threes at a respectable clip. As I’ve said before, Chris’ game has always been built on power and muscle; the problem is that style isn’t going to work at the NBA level. Long story short, CL’s game has never been all that scalable, and on a team trying to win now, they need guys who can fit tailored roles. At what point is it best to just cut him and allow him to try and develop on a younger team that could give him a real opportunity?
Let us know which two players you think should be cut in the comments!
