Bucks preseason notebook – Yahoo Sports

With training camp and all five preseason games in the books, we have learned a lot about the Bucks as they embark on year one of the rebuild-but-don’t-call-it-a-rebuild. But what one person sees isn’t always the same as what the next person does. So, we thought we’d share pages of our notebooks, highlighting our main observations as Milwaukee heads into the regular season. Obviously, there are storylines galore we haven’t touched on—Brayden Burries’ emergence, for one. But that will come when he truly arrives; in Burries we trust. So, without further ado, let’s get into it!

Trending: How the Bucks have popped (and flopped)

Preseason had me hyped, but the Kyle Kuzma/Jaime Jaquez Jr. frontcourt soon had me wincing—as did Gary Trent Jr.’s shooting. Kel’el Ware starting at the four reinvigorated my enthusiasm, then his “motor” issue reared its head and I found myself questioning everything. But I’m choosing optimism. Thankfully, then, Taylor Jenkins chose Brayden Burries and Ousmane Dieng as his first and second substitutions against the Indiana Pacers, leaving me hopeful for the regular season—that Jenkins has quickly learned these guys need to play and that they’ve already shown the growth to leapfrog more established players. But I digress; I’m here to talk trends.

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By the eye test, the Bucks demonstrated the traits many thought (hoped) they’d have under Jenkins’ tutelage. Mainly, they hit the glass. Hard. The numbers back it up too:

2025-26 Regular Season

Category

2026-27 Preseason

48.2% (26th)

Rebounding Percentage

51.1% (10th)

26.3% (30th)

Offensive Rebounding Percentage

35.9% (5th)

69.5% (15th)

Defensive Rebounding Percentage

68.7% (13th)

This additional emphasis on the possession game—especially via the offensive glass—contributed to the Bucks generating more looks at the basket. With 94.2 field goal attempts per game, Milwaukee ranked third in the league, up from their 27th-placed 85.5 attempts last year. They also finished third in three-point attempts per game, hoisting up an average of 46.4 a night (up from 39.1 last year). Signs of Jenkins’ coaching philosophy didn’t stop there. The Bucks…

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Publish date : 2026-10-20 12:00:00

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