The 3 Bucks Most Under the Spotlight in Training Camp

When NBA training camps open, most observers will have their eyes closed when it comes to Milwaukee.

The Bucks are not in the national spotlight anymore, as evidenced by their selection for only 2 national television games on the initial schedule, and both of those against the Miami Heat because of the novelty of facing Giannis Antetokounmpo, their franchise face for a decade. And most of the prognosticators have only the Brooklyn Nets further behind in the overall Eastern Conference projections.

In some ways, this relative anonymity will make the Bucks' rebuild easier -- the pressure will be internal, in some cases individual. Not much will be expected for a while and, during that time, the Bucks can sort out their roster, rotation and salary cap sheet all while under the guidance of new coach Taylor Jenkins, who has done this sort of thing before.

Still, there are always stakes in the NBA.

Here are three people with the most to prove when the Bucks start training camp at the end of September:

1. Myles Turner

The center is second-highest player on the team, at $26.4 million, but the issue isn't really this season -- it's the two seasons after, when he's due another $57 million. Brought in to complement (and placate) Giannis, Turner now seems out of place. He doesn't rebound well enough to justify that number, especially on a team that doesn't have an elite forward complement who needs his floor spacing skills. He's made an effort this offseason to provide leadership to his younger teammates, organizing group workouts, but where he will really serve the Bucks' best at this point is as a trade chip, as they clear a path for Kel'el Ware. And for that, he needs to increase his value by playing with consistent force on the court. If Turner wants to get to another winning situation, he needs to stand out -- and even if he does, it might be a year (when his contract is closer to its end) that he can be moved.

2. Tyler Herro

The Miami Heat weren't entirely against extending the former All-Star guard; they just wanted to wait to see if he could duplicate his availability from the 2024-25 season -- and then he did the opposite. There will always be issues with his defense, but he is skilled as a scorer, and that still holds value even if his archetype doesn't command the relative contract it once did. Herro is the highest-paid player on the Bucks ($33 million), and to get a salary like that from them or anyone else going forward, he needs to pop on the court from the start, rather than popping another ligament. Brayden Burries may be better eventually, and Ryan Rollins is coming off a nice breakout season, but Herro needs to show he's the best offensive player on this team right now and that he can't be easily replaced.

3. Jon Horst

Yes, there was that championship in 2021, but there hasn't been much to celebrate since. So the Bucks GM will be judged based on how he restocked the roster after that roster's limitations caused Antetokounmpo to seek an exit from a city the star loved. The Dame Lillard waive-and-stretch. The Turner contract. The litany of poor draft choices. Has Horst righted the ship, by bringing in four NBA-quality players from Miami, making two picks in the top 13 and finding a few diamonds in the rough (Rollins, Kevin Porter Jr., Ousmane Dieng). We'll see. That will begin to reveal itself at camp.

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