© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports
Milwaukee Bucks rookies looking forward to doing more work as the season nears
Putting in work during the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas was just the tip of the iceberg for Milwaukee Bucks rookies Andre Jackson Jr. and Chris Livingston. While the two come from excellent collegiate programs in UConn and Kentucky, respectively, the NBA is a different beast, but the two have expressed their willingness to do whatever it takes to help the Bucks achieve their future goals.
Learning new things
With the Bucks’ new head coach Adrian Griffin overseeing the team in the Summer League, Jackson and Livingston got a taste of what life in the big league is like. And for Jackson, the UConn forward who averaged 5.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game, he’s relishing the learning experiences day in and out.
“It’s been great – just constantly learning new things around a lot of high-level guys, coaches, teammates,” Jackson said. “So just trying to pick up on everything they’re giving insight on. Just trying to take it day by day and grow every day. I think that’s the biggest thing, is in this environment it’s easy to grow if you’re doing the right thing, so just staying on it.”
While Jackson does have a varied skill set that may prove valuable in the NBA, his shooting leaves a lot to be desired, and he’s aware of it.
“Just working every day with coach (Josh Oppenheimer), getting my shots in, getting my form shooting in, making sure I’m getting the ball up, making sure I’m holding my follow through, staying in my shot – just all the little things,” Jackson shared of his current routine.
Attention to detail
In a league populated by all-world athletes, Livingston knows he has to do his due diligence to thrive in the NBA. A huge part of that is paying attention to every detail—whether it’s the opponent’s tendencies or the team’s game plan—to make sure he’s in the best position to help the Bucks.
“I’m pretty sure the biggest thing as you go next level to next level is each at level, the attention to detail increases,” said Livingston. “You have to pay attention to a lot more detail because the details is what’s going to separate a lot of talented guys out there on the floor, being at Summer League and at the NBA level. I think that’s the main thing you’ve got to think about.”
