"I'm not gonna lose confidence in myself!" - The Milwaukee Bucks need Jordan Nwora to stay hot from deep

After a slow start to the season, Nwora finally put up a few notable performances

© Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

The Milwaukee Bucks have had a great start to the season. Until a few days ago, they held the best record in the league, and their players were balling. But still, they have tons of opportunities to improve. The Bucks still have a trio of wings out that will eventually come back into the rotation, and they are loaded with talent. 

One guy that got the opportunity amidst all those injuries is Jordan Nwora. But unfortunately for Nwora, this has been a slow individual start to the season. With the imminent return of the injured players, Nwora's place in the rotation could be in jeopardy. Maybe the last couple of games in which Jordan finally got going will help him keep his spot.

Nwora is feeling the pressure

Before the start of the seasons, Nwora entered restricted free agency. The Bucks allowed him to listen to other teams, but no offers came in. So the Bucks decided to resign him on a 2-year/6.2$ Million extension. Many said that this was not a good idea as the Bucks had a host of talented wings, and Nwora would become a bench warmer.

However, Nwora got an opportunity to prove himself as the Bucks were dealt a massive blow. They learned that Pat Connaughton, Khris Middleton, and Joe Ingles were set to miss the start of the season. This meant that Nwora was next in line, and the Bucks had no choice but to go with the third-year player.

Among the 284 players to get at least 15 minutes per game this season, Jordan Nwora ranks 280th in effective field goal percentage. 🥶🥶🥶

— Bucks Film Room (@BucksFilmRoom) November 14, 2022

Expectations were high, but so far, Nwora has been disappointing. He is scoring at a lower rate than his previous year, and his shooting percentages have been absurd. It has been so bad that Nwora has become one of the worst shooters in the entire league when it comes to percentages.

Finally stepping up

In the first 13 games of the season, Nwora has averaged 6.2 PPG and 4.2 RPG on 30% shooting from the field. But with a breakout performance versus the Cavaliers the other night, in which Jordan scored 21 points (6-10 FG, 5-9 3PT), his averages and overall percentages finally took on a positive turn. He followed that up with a quiet but efficient game in Philly (8 points, 3-6 FG, 2-3 3PT). The Bucks will hope this is a sign of Nwora getting out of his slump and giving the team valuable minutes on the wing.

The added responsibility and need for shot creation has not been an easy task for Nwora, but with key guys returning, his role will slowly decrease and be more natural. If he wants to keep his spot in the rotation through the season he will have to be locked and loaded, ready to shoot that ball.

Nwora himself shared he never lost confidence in himself or his abilities:

"I'm not gonna lose confidence in myself just because of a couple of bad weeks. I'm happy the shots went in and we got the win tonight." Nwora concluded after a win versus Cleveland the other day.

Jordan has the ability, and hopefully, his confidence will keep him a key component of this Bucks team even when they get back to full strength.