Kevin Porter Jr. is having one of his best seasons because of the freedom the Milwaukee Bucks have given him with the basketball. He has the ball in his hands often, and it's allowing him to play a crucial role in the offense. If the Bucks trade for Ja Morant, which is reportedly on the table over the next few weeks, Porter's role will certainly be reduced soon.
Pairing two ball-dominant guards together would be quite the choice
On the season, Porter is averaging 4.89 dribbles per touch, which ranks eighth in the league among players to appear in at least 15 games for an average of 15 minutes per. Meanwhile, Morant isn't too far behind at 4.58 dribbles per touch, 14th in the NBA. Trading for two players who need the ball that much could lead to plenty of head-butting.
Porter likes having the ball. Morant likes having the ball. Let's not forget about the massive elephant in the room, which is Giannis Antetokounmpo, who also needs his touches. Does a trio of players who all need the ball in their hands to be their most impactful make sense? Not really. It feels like this group would simply take away opportunities from one another.
The Bucks could try to stagger them, such as by bringing Porter off the bench, but even then, they've got Morant and Antetokounmpo trying to make things work as two players who don't mesh on paper. Rather than uplift each other, there's a good chance these three could diminish their teammates' impact because they need the ball so much.
That doesn't seem like a desirable outcome for Porter, who is eligible to hit NBA Free Agency this coming summer and will be due for a raise if he keeps playing this well. Is it impossible that the Bucks could find a way to make this trio work? No, but it would be a tall task for Doc Rivers to orchestrate this offense.
The fit would make more sense if these three were all stout perimeter shooters, allowing them to get open looks by playing off their teammates, but that's not the case. Giannis is at 40.5 percent but at a low volume. Porter is at 35.8 percent, and that's one of his best percentages career-wise. Morant is having one of the worst shooting seasons ever at 20.8 percent.
In a league where floor spacing is crucial, trotting out these three could be problematic. Porter feels like the biggest loser in this scenario, as he'd have the ball taken away from him after a season full of freedom. If the Milwaukee Bucks are looking for big fish targets, they may be better off finding players who thrive in an off-ball capacity.
They were their most successful when Jrue Holiday was the lead point guard and haven't managed to recapture that same success ever since.
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