Bucks Rookie Brayden Burries Has Promising Message After Summer League Finale

· Yahoo Sports

With just over a second left in Las Vegas on Saturday, Brayden Burries drove into traffic and dropped in a contested layup, lifting the Milwaukee Bucks past the Philadelphia 76ers 96-94 in their Summer League finale.

The rookie guard finished with a game-high 27 points, five assists, and four rebounds in 28 minutes, closing his first professional showcase the same way he spent most of it, looking like one of the best picks in the draft.

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Milwaukee wrapped the event at 2-3, but the record meant far less than what the No. 10 overall selection showed across his time in the desert.

A Grounded Outlook

Burries could have talked about the buzzer-beater or his scoring numbers when reporters caught up with him afterward.

Instead, the rookie kept the focus squarely on development, brushing past the individual praise that has followed him around Las Vegas for two weeks.

"Just trying to get the experience, get better each and every game," Burries said.

That approach is exactly what a rebuilding franchise wants to hear from a teenager it just handed the keys to, and it matches what Bucks GM Jon Horst praised about his rookies on draft night, pointing to their competitiveness and feel for the game.

The Numbers Behind the Buzz

The production has climbed steadily since his debut.

Burries opened with 18 points against the Heat, poured in 26 against the Spurs, and added a 23-point, eight-rebound, six-assist night against the Suns before Milwaukee rested him in a win over Charlotte.

Those first three outings worked out to 22.3 points per game, and Saturday raised the bar again even though he went 0 of 4 from deep, adapting on the fly and doing his damage inside the arc on 9 of 18 shooting.

The former Arizona standout averaged 16.1 points while shooting 39 percent from three as a freshman, led the Wildcats to the Final Four, and earned First-Team All-Big 12 honors, so the scoring translating this quickly should not shock anyone.

What It Means for the Rebuild

Milwaukee is entering its first season without Giannis Antetokounmpo in over a decade, and the pieces from that trade will shape everything ahead.

Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, and Kasparas Jakucionis arrived in the deal, while fellow lottery pick Nate Ament chipped in 12 points on Saturday, nine of them in the first quarter.

New head coach Taylor Jenkins plans to lean on pace and player development, an environment that suits a three-level scorer who defends his position.

Summer League success never guarantees anything in the fall, but Burries has already made his case for real minutes, and his steady mindset suggests the moment will not be too big for him.

The Bucks bet their rebuild on nights like Saturday, and their young guard keeps rewarding that bet.

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