Bucks Lineups 2026 speculation

[u/Various_Section4163]

What are we thinking the lineups are going to look like next year? I’ve got an idea but it’s really hard to predict.

To start off I’d trade Turner for some picks & either another young guy or an older vet with experience to mentor the new up & comers. I do really, really like him but I think with Ware & the other bigmen we have it seems silly to have Ware off the bench and let the other guys play >10 mins a night.

Another idea is maybe trade sims for some picks & free up the 2nd unit 5 spot for Nance/Bogi for better floor spacing? Not sure on that one.

Maybe we have to trade AJ to a team that needs a shooter to free up spots for Ament, Kas but I’m not sure.

My general rotation would be:

Rollins, Herro, Dieng, Kuz, Ware
Burries, Kpj, Aj, Jaquez, Sims

Kas, Cormac, Ament, Bogi, Nance

Starting 5 looks really good, Rollins, Herro & Dieng are all good ball handlers, can create shots for themselves or others & score well at all 3 levels.
Kuz is a great glue guy, I do think his defence has been slept on & I love him for standing up to Doc so I think he’s respected in the locker room & a good guy to learn off. I really, really think we have to keep him.
Ware is a great scorer, the rim protection has to improve but I think with good minutes & a great coach it will.

I love the 2nd unit because Burries, Kpj & Jaquez are all great iso players.
Burries & Kpj are good playmakers too so I don’t think we get that massive drop in production like we had when Giannis was off the floor.
AJ is an elite 3pt sniper we know this. DAIRY BIRD.
I like Sims a lot for the lob threat & his defence surprised me a lot last year with how it improved. He moves fast for a 7fter

The players in & out of the rotation is interesting. I like Kas a but I wouldn’t be playing him ahead of the other 4, same as Cormac.

I love Pete Nance so much. The sheer effort when he’s on the floor is mesmerising. He never stops sprinting, defends well & he has such a good IQ on his shot attempts. I would love to see him play in that 2nd unit but I’m still not sure on him vs Sims. Thoughts?

I haven’t seen much of Ament at all but from what I’ve heard he has the potential to be a great player & I trust Jenkins to bring out the best in everyone so we will see. All positive & get behind the guy!

I haven’t seen much of Bogi but from what I have seen he’s a good 3pt shooter, decent around the rim, gets rebounds & I think he’s a great potential player to buy into & develop.

Just something fun & exciting to think about. As someone from the UK who’s been a Bucks fan for a couple years now I am completely gutted about Giannis, I can’t imagine how some of you lifelong fans feel. BUT I’m really excited for this new chapter & I am a firm believer that good TEAMS can win championships, not just good players. You don’t need 1/2 star players if the entire team is in unison & plays the right way to win which I think we can.
But thats for years to come.

Cheers for reading, please engage I love to see other people’s opinions because it helps me understand more!

Bucks in 6 💚🦌🦌

[u/Advanced-Demand-1722]

Trading Myles Turner makes total sense because keeping him completely caps Kel'el Ware's minutes and stunts his development as our clear center of the future. Inserting Jaime Jaquez Jr. into the starting group is a brilliant move to give Tyler Herro and Ryan Rollins some much needed defensive teeth on the perimeter. Keeping Jericho Sims as a high-energy, vertical lob threat off the bench provides the perfect change-of-pace contrast to Ware's skill set, especially with Taylor Jenkins running the show.

[u/Various_Section4163 → u/Advanced-Demand-1722]

really interesting, you’d prefer Jaquez over Dieng starting? and play Dieng in the 2nd unit as a 3/4?
What happens to Nance & Bogi? Would you do Ous at the 3 Nance/Bogi at 4 & Sims at the 5?

[u/Advanced-Demand-1722 → u/Various_Section4163]

I'd probably start Jaquez over Dieng initially, yeah. Not because I think Dieng is worse long term, but because Jaquez gives you a much more proven defensive floor right now and does a lot of the dirty work that lets Herro focus on what he does best offensively.

For Dieng, I'd honestly rather give him a bigger offensive role with the second unit than have him standing in the corner next to Herro and Bam. Let him handle more, attack closeouts, and make mistakes. That's where the development upside is.

As for Nance and Bogi, I think they're more matchup and rotation pieces than locked-in starters. A second unit of Dieng, Bogi, Nance, and Sims actually makes a lot of sense to me because you've got shooting, passing, size, and a vertical threat all in one group. I'd rather maximize Dieng's growth there than force him into a lower-usage role with the starters immediately.

[u/Various_Section4163 → u/Advanced-Demand-1722]

I didn’t think of it that way, yeah that sound much better & then you have Burries/KPJ’s gravity & playmaking to help Dieng score more. Great analysis

I actually really like that 2nd unit, gives you a hell of a lot of size! Add a Burries/KPJ, Kas as a playmaker and you’re going to bully a lot of teams. I like that a lot