Bucks rookie Sterling Brown to get first start vs. 76ers

PHILADELPHIA - With Giannis Antetokounmpo out for two games due to right knee soreness and Malcolm Brogdon away due to what has been described as a personal family matter, Bucks coach Jason Kidd needed to make some alterations to his starting lineup for Saturday's 6:30 p.m. game against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center.

Following shootaround Saturday, Kidd shared that he will start rookie Sterling Brown and Tony Snell in place of Antetokounmpo and Brogdon. For Snell, it will be his 130th start in 140 games since arriving in Milwaukee last season. For Brown, though, it will be the second-round draft pick's first NBA start in 20 appearances.

According to Kidd, Brown's earned the opportunity.

“By working," Kidd said. "He’s one of the guys that’s first in the gym and one of the last. He loves being in the gym.”

Brown has appeared in 19 of Milwaukee's 44 games, averaging 2.9 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.6 steals in 9.2 minutes per game. He's spent most of this season watching and learning, improving his physical and mental skills as he waits for his next opportunity.

When he has gotten more playing time — Brown has appeared in 14 of Milwaukee's past 18 games including six in a row — he hasn't played passively or scared. Rather, he's taken on all comers, including some of the league's top stars in James Harden, Chris Paul, John Wall and Klay Thompson, and refused to back down to any challenge.

He hasn't always won those battles, but standing up to a challenge is part of who he is and how he was brought up.

“Back in Chicago, Maywood, everybody’s going at you," Brown said. "That’s just the mentality I grew up with. You’ve got to be able to guard your own ground and go back at guys. That’s the mentality that came from the city, came from where I grew up and it just stuck with me. You can’t be afraid of nobody. You’re not going to last if you’re afraid out here.”

As much as he isn't afraid, Brown knows he needs to tweak his approach at least slightly for Saturday's game. He's had a habit of picking up cheap fouls quickly, averaging 5.6 per 36 minutes. In most games, that doesn't present much of a problem considering his small minute load, but with a short bench Saturday he'll have to watch his foul count.

“I’ve just got to play a little smarter, be able to stay out there," Brown said. "It’s a long game. My role has changed for this game, so I’ve just got to go out there and play smarter and not pick up those dumb fouls I pick up sometimes.”

Tidbits: Kidd said that he expects Brodgon to return in time for Monday's game against the Phoenix Suns at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. ...

Both Bucks two-way players — Xavier Munford and Marshall Plumlee — are with the team in Philadelphia and are expected to be active for Saturday's game.