A lot has happened in the Milwaukee Bucks' offseason thus far. As constructed, this team has a clear starting lineup, but not without flaws, and perhaps the most glaring uncertainty lies at point guard. Kevin Porter Jr. may or may not be equipped for a starting role after being a reserve last season.
Trusting Porter Jr. to start could be risky for Bucks
For now, the Bucks are looking at a first unit something like this:
Point guard - Kevin Porter Jr.
Shooting guard - Gary Trent Jr.
Small forward - Kyle Kuzma/Taurean Prince
Power forward - Giannis Antetokounmpo
Center - Myles Turner
Bobby Portis would fill his customary role as sixth man, spending time at both center and power forward behind newcomer Myles Turner.
Though imperfect, it's a mostly viable group. Other than Kuzma or Prince - realistically, neither would start on many contenders - Porter Jr. is the main question.
He played quite well off the bench last season. After arriving in a trade with the Clippers, Porter appeared in 30 games, averaging 11.7 points and 3.4 assists while playing tough defense. As a backup, he left little to complain about.
But Bucks fans didn't have much of a chance to see him start. Porter took the court at tipoff only twice in the regular season. In the playoffs, Doc Rivers finally promoted him to the starting five in the series' final game.
He did see increased burn down the stretch, even as a reserve, but whether he can hold up full-time is an unknown. Overall, he averaged under 20 minutes per game last year.
Porter also missed all of 2023-24. The season before was the last time he featured as a starter, on a 22-60 Rockets team focused on a rebuild. Although Porter produced (19.2 points, 5.7 assists per game), that type of environment does not always reflect players in their optimal roles.
Back then, he was just 22 years old. On a young, developing team, he enjoyed more free rein than he may have elsewhere. Impressive volume does not equate to the same numbers on a competitive team, where there is less margin for error and experimentation.
It's worth noting that Porter's shooting splits in Milwaukee last season outperformed anything he did earlier in his career. From the field, the 3-point line, and the charity stripe, respectively, he shot 49.4, 40.8, and 87.1 percent. His best year in Houston featured splits of 44.2/36.6/78.4.
Sample size is also an issue. Of Porter's 271 career games, the Bucks have seen only 30. Whether he can replicate his performance in a different role, over a larger sample, is no small question. All of the above does nothing to address his yearlong hiatus and rusty-seeming Clippers stint, factors that cast further uncertainty over his future abilities.
So far, the Milwaukee Bucks have stood pat in the external point guard market. Though some decent names remain, bringing back Porter has been their only move. Ideal or not, if they don't go out and secure a quality starter, the job will be his by default.