Not many outsiders are high on Milwaukee Bucks point guards. That sentiment is understandable, as none are household names or were even starters last season. Considering point guard rotations as a whole, however, the Bucks are far enough away from last in the East.
What follows is one rendition of a point-guard power ranking, wholistically evaluating the top two or three options on each Eastern Conference depth chart. Are the Bucks too high, too low, or just right for now? Let's find out.
Ranking point guard groups in the Eastern Conference
1. Boston Celtics - Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, Anfernee Simons
2. New York Knicks - Jalen Brunson, Miles McBride, Jordan Clarkson
3. Miami Heat - Tyler Herro, Davion Mitchell, Terry Rozier
4. Detroit Pistons - Cade Cunningham, Marcus Sasser, Jaden Ivey
5. Cleveland Cavaliers - Darius Garland, Lonzo Ball, Craig Porter Jr.
6. Orlando Magic - Jalen Suggs, Anthony Black, Tyus Jones
7. Philadelphia 76ers - Tyrese Maxey, Jarden McCain, Kyle Lowry
8. Atlanta Hawks - Trae Young, Luke Kennard, Kobe Bufkin
9. Chicago Bulls - Josh Giddey, Tre Jones, Ayo Dosunmu
10. Milwaukee Bucks - Kevin Porter Jr, Cole Anthony, Ryan Rollins
11. Indiana Pacers - Andrew Nembhard, TJ McConnell, Quentin Jackson
12. Charlotte Hornets - LaMelo Ball, Tre Mann, Spencer Dindwiddie
13. Toronto Raptors - Immanuel Quickley, Jamal Shead, AJ Lawson
14. Washington Wizards - Bub Carrington, Tre Johnson, AJ Johnson
15. Brooklyn Nets - Egor Demin, Keon Johnson, Nolan Traore
The Bucks do not have that clear, confidence-inspiring name atop the depth chart. Unless things go very wrong, however, they will not have a basement-level rotation. They also have a decent ceiling.
Both strong defenders, Porter and Rollins especially, could make major strides this season, and Anthony fits his bench creator role like a glove. They might not fill up box scores like, say, Trae Young in Atlanta, but the game is played on both ends of the floor.
The issue with ranking them higher is that, for now, it is fair to say that the Bucks essentially have three plus-level backups but no obvious starter. Although Porter will likely take on that role, Anthony led the trio in starts last year with 22 as a member of the Magic.
For the arrangement to work, Porter will have to be the guy he was in Milwaukee, and perhaps a bit better, as opposed to his rusty Clippers self. A baseline level of production is there, however. Porter as a Buck plus Anthony combined to average 21.1 points, 6.6 assists, 6.9 rebounds, and two steals. Offensively, Anthony just needs to work on improving his catch-and-shoot efficiency.
Throw in Rollins, who will also see a good amount of time at shooting guard, and that's far from a bottom-tier group. They aren't there yet, but this group can climb several spots on this list if Porter has the breakout the Milwaukee Bucks are hoping for.
Note on No. 1: Ranking the Celtics first goes hand in hand with crediting Bucks point guards for their underrated defensive chops. As good as Brunson is for the Knicks, defense is half the game, and there he is vulnerable. For Boston, White is an elite two-way player, and Pritchard is the reigning Sixth Man of the Year. One metric is not an end-all be-all, but Pritchard actually accounted for more Win Shares per 48 minutes (0.182) than Brunson did (0.173). White was close (0.155).
Notable team ranked ahead of the Bucks: Chicago Bulls. If Josh Giddey, for some reason, ends up elsewhere, Milwaukee would jump Chicago, who, in that case, would default to Tre Jones and Ayo Dosunmu.
Notable teams behind: Charlotte Hornets, Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors. Hornets starter LaMelo Ball puts up numbers but does not play defense and is extremely inefficient. Top bench guard Collin Sexton will probably see more time at the two than the one. Advantage Bucks.
In Indiana, Nembhard is good but not a true point guard, a frequent knock on Milwaukee's options as well. No margin there for the Pacers. TJ McConnell is among the league's best backups, but the depth chart has no third guy to match Rollins. Although it's close, give the edge to Milwaukee.
As for Toronto's Immanuel Quickley, he has underperformed on a massive contract and the Raptors do not have great depth at point guard. Whatever the appropriate criticisms, the Bucks do have that.