C.J.

Sure.

Nate is young and not close to physically ready for the league. I also didn't think he played with enough force in college, which is why I favored Hannes Steinbach at that pick. But I have seen enough already to justify taking the swing on Nate there. If he hits, it's major.

After watching how Taylor reacted to his mental errors last night, I fear for his safety.

A terse assessment.

Burries

Hey look, it’s Brayden Fucking Burries.

No sure if "doubling-down" is the framing I would use.

I think he's a win now player who needs the ball a lot. I’d rather see that usage go to Burries and Rollins. On the fence about JJJ, but he's a power wing and would like to retain him if it's a good value contract ($12-15mm AAV.)

If that’s true, we’re headed to a really good place. 🙏🏻

Agree, Yung Snickers.

There is joy in the development journey, and it has already begun.

Yeah, that was a bit of hyperbole. But I love have Saint and Vince back.

What if you could keep him for the MLE?

For the rest of their careers? Disagree.

Disagree.

That's fair. You could make a case for either, but Ryan is younger and likely to be cheaper.

Every 50 years.

Doc's time with the Bucks was the LIV Golf of coaching tenures.

Bucks check-in after 8 games: 1. Brayden Burries is a *dude*. Cornerstone of the roster going forward. 2. The development of Nate Ament is the most important thing to track this season, and the early signs are encouraging. 3. Don't give up on Rylo. He'll start to make threes and would benefit most from a Herro trade. We should want him here long-term. 4. This is the best coaching staff the Bucks have had since 2018 (which was also the best staff in team history). 5. Early returns on the Heat guys is mixed. Tyler is doing a good job restoring his trade value and should be moved before the deadline. Jaime is a guy you'd like to keep if the price is right. Kas is probably a backup PG, but a potentially good one. And Kel'el is the swing piece with the highest variance, but based on what I've seen so far, I wouldn't be comfortable paying him. 6. We dodged a bullet on Peyton Watson. 7. The faster that Kyle Kuzma can be expelled from the Bucks ecosystem, the better. 8. Bogi isn't an NBA player. 9. Even at a flat $5.75 million per year, Ousmane Dieng is grossly overpaid. 10. AJ Green is valuable and should probably be playing more than 20 minutes per night. 11. Myles is one of the most frustrating Bucks players in recent memory. How he has gotten so little production out of his tools (which are still largely intact) is difficult to understand. 12. The GTJ contract, the coming penalty, and the Dame stretch is going to loom over the franchise for the next three seasons, which is a bummer, but if they emerge from that period with a 24-year old all-star point guard, two other pieces (ideally, Nate + one of the Heat guys), cap space, and control of their remaining picks, the 2030s will be fun.