Throughout the Giannis Antetokounmpo era, perimeter shooting was always one of the Milwaukee Bucks' greatest strengths. Well, even without him in town, it looks like Milwaukee will hold up in that regard, especially off the bench. No matter who the backup ball-handler is, they will be surrounded by an array of perimeter talent that should help them tally assists.
Bucks' bench is full of 3-point marksmen
Though there is no telling what Taylor Jenkins' starting unit with the Milwaukee Bucks will be, the safe bet is Ryan Rollins, Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kyle Kuzma, and Myles Turner. Based on experience and positions, that just feels like the reasonable choice. If this holds true, the bench unit will be full of outside shooters nearly from top to bottom.
Let's look at some likely rotation players and their career 3-point percentages, notably AJ Green (42 percent), Brayden Burries (39.1 percent in college), Gary Trent Jr. (42 percent), Kasparas Jakucionis (42.3 percent), Kel'el Ware (36.9 percent), Kevin Porter Jr. (34.8 percent), Ousmane Dieng (31.4 percent), and Pete Nance (41.7 percent). That's a lot of good 3-point shooting.
The only second-unit player who looks poised to contribute and isn't much of a shooter is Jericho Sims, who should still work well with the point guard as a lob threat. Whoever is controlling the unit should always have options ready to fire away if the ball gets kicked to them. It's a dream for a pass-first player.
The backup point guard spot will be interesting
With Herro and Rollins projected to start, Kevin Porter Jr. is likely Milwaukee's backup point guard from day one next season. After averaging a career-high 7.4 assists per game last season, though injuries limited the sample size quite a bit, Porter proved himself to be a capable passer and should help guide the second unit consistently.
In addition to Porter, fans should not overlook Kasparas Jakucionis. While his path to playing time might be difficult to reach at the moment, he is undoubtedly a player with potential, which stems from his passing. If Porter misses time like he did last season, or if the team trades him, it would open the door for the youngster to take control of this unit.
No matter what, the Milwaukee Bucks are set up nicely in the backcourt. As discussed often over the last couple of months, this team has plenty of bodies there. No matter who is orchestrating the bench unit, they should keep defenses on their toes by having an array of talented shooters on the floor at all times to pass the ball to.
That goes without even mentioning lineups when they are mixed in with Herro, Rollins, and Turner, who are all good shooters in their own right. No matter what, the backup is set up nicely.
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