Coming into the season, the biggest question mark around the Milwaukee Bucks was the level of their backcourt. Now, that glaring weakness has become the team's undeniable strength with Kevin Porter Jr., Ryan Rollins, and Cam Thomas all in full flow to propel the team to seven wins in their last nine games.
Bucks' backcourt has become their strength
Tuesday's victory over the Miami Heat got the Bucks back in the win column, with Porter taking the lead, dropping 32 points with seven rebounds and seven assists. Rollins had another strong game to bolster his Most Improved Player resume, scoring 21 points alongside his backcourt partner.
Heading into the season, the guard group was a concern for the Milwaukee team. Rollins was still unproven despite a breakout in the latter stages of the 2024-25 season. Porter was a heat-check player, and you didn't know what version you would get. Gary Trent Jr. was the one with the most credit in the bank, and he can't even get on the floor right now, a credit to the other guards keeping him out of the rotation.
The addition of Thomas has been an excellent one. He didn't have his strongest game in a Bucks jersey on Tuesday, but the guards are contributing by committee, and right now, if one has a poor game, the others will step up, and it is a huge shining light for the team in what has been a very mixed season.
Add in that Giannis Antetokounmpo's injury has left the team without their star, around whom the gameplan was built, and the players and Doc Rivers deserve credit for finding a way to get wins without the two-time MVP. Creating shots was an issue as the team was very much built to shoot, as the Greek Freak took all the attention. Now the backcourt is showing its skills to create for themselves but still open up opportunities for the likes of Kyle Kuzma and Bobby Portis.
In the previous five games, Rollins has had four 20-plus point games, Porter has had three, and Thomas has had two. Their ability as a group to all chip in and cause nightmares for opponents is really impressive and has given the Milwaukee Bucks a new lease of life post trade deadline.
Things will undoubtedly change when Giannis returns, with the gameplan shifting, but when he sits, it feels like the Bucks will be in good hands with the various guards they can scheme around. For now, the Bucks are in a great spot and have momentum as they look to get into the Play-In spots.
The backcourt was a glaring weakness for the Milwaukee Bucks coming into the season, but now it has become their biggest strength. All the guards are playing well and helping out in all areas of the game, bringing great optimism for the final stretch of the season.