One of the frustrations Lakers fans had with Darvin Ham last season was how heavily he leaned on Taurean Prince (the Lakers were outscored by 2.7 points per 100 possessions when Prince was on the court, but Ham stuck with him as a starter for 49 games and gave him more minutes). Ham is now out, headed back to Milwaukee as an assistant on Doc Rivers’ staff.
Prince is coming with him: The veteran forward has agreed to a contract with the Bucks, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reports.
Prince averaged 8.9 points and 2.9 rebounds on 39.6 percent shooting from three in 78 games with the Lakers last season. He is now expected to play a major role in the Bucks’ frontcourt. https://t.co/VsEoPP3cfB
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 3, 2024
Milwaukee has had a quiet offseason up to this point but has reached a pair of deals in the past 24 hours, the other with veteran forward Delon Wright, who spent last season in Miami.
Both are veteran minimum deals, because that’s what Milwaukee can offer.
While Lakers fans may laugh at Prince, he’s actually a great signing for the Bucks: At the very least, and with a role of about 20 minutes a night coming off the bench, Prince is a fantastic addition. He averaged 8.9 points per game with the Lakers last season and shot 39.6 percent from three-point range (one of the reasons Ham kept him: Los Angeles needed the floor space).
Wright is the same. He’s a solid rotational guard who shot 36.8 percent from 3-point range last season and is a quality defender known for his pass-deflecting ability. Where Wright fits in the rotation remains to be seen, but he could get clutch minutes in games against other teams’ elite guards — him carrying the ball and Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez protecting the paint could work out well.
Milwaukee hasn’t been making much of a splash, but the bet is that year two of the Antetokounmpo-Damian Lillard partnership (with just one experienced coach from the start and (hopefully) good health) can catapult them back to the top of the East. To get there, you need solid role players, and the combination of Prince and Wright can do it.