Through the first 11 games of the season, the perception regarding center Kel’el Ware has not been positive, but he will have a big opportunity Wednesday night to potentially change the narrative.

The Milwaukee Bucks are returning home to face the Los Angeles Lakers to finish their back-to-back after losing in New York to the Knicks the night before. 

Milwaukee desperately missed the presence of its leading scorer, Tyler Herro, on Tuesday, who missed the game because of a right knee contusion, as the Bucks scored their lowest total in any game so far, only scoring 85 points in the loss. 

While Herro was still listed as questionable ahead of his game against the Lakers, the injury report had a new name on it as Myles Turner is out for rest. 

Any starter missing a game would be a key loss, but for Turner, his play hasn’t been exactly positive. On roughly 27 minutes a night, Turner has averaged 6.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game while shooting 32.9% from the field and 25.5% from the 3-point line. 

It’s been a dreadful start to the season, and in the last three games alone, he’s only averaged 2 points, 5 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 2 turnovers per game on 2-for-22 (9.1%) shooting from the field and 1-for-13 (7.7%) from the 3-point line. When it was reported that Turner was going to miss the game against Los Angeles because of rest, it felt like an odd reason since it’s only been 11 games and with his recent production. 

Regardless of the reason why he’s not playing, the Bucks will be without him, and as a result, it will be a chance for Ware to possibly gain some momentum moving forward as the night’s starter. 

Ware has also struggled as of late after a decent start to the season. In the first six games, he scored double digits in four games and recorded a double-double in three of the games. Now in the last four games, he’s only averaged 3.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 6-for- 27  (22.2%) from the field and 0-for-7 from the 3-point line. 

His minutes have fluctuated over the last few games, and there have been times when head coach Taylor Jenkins has had a short leash on Ware when a possession results in an offensive rebound, a foul or an easy paint basket when he’s on the court.

It’s been hard for him to establish a rhythm with inconsistent minutes, but the Bucks will have to lean on him at the center position, especially if Herro can’t go, and since backup Jericho Sims doesn’t have the versatility on offense that Ware possesses.

Though he’s struggled, Ware shot 39.5% from the 3-point line last season with the Miami Heat and is more than capable of stretching the floor. His impact defensively mostly comes from his shot-blocking ability, and you would like to see more consistency on that end of the floor. 

There have been a lot of narratives about Ware early in the season, with some saying he’s been a disappointment. The 22-year-old will get the opportunity to prove himself against the Lakers and possibly step into a larger role in the future with Turner's recent struggles.