The Milwaukee Bucks have been hit repeatedly with bad news lately, but it sounds like at least one thing is trending in the right direction, and it's Kevin Porter Jr. The guard, who opened the year as Milwaukee's starting floor general, has played just nine minutes this season due to an ankle injury followed by meniscus surgery. Yet, Doc Rivers says his return is going according to plan.
"Yeah, I think right on track then," Rivers told reporters on Wednesday. "He looks good. He ran skeleton today and he looked good."
Even with the good news, Porter is still at least a couple of weeks from returning at minimum. He had surgery on November 3, and the initial hope was that he'd be back in a month. There is still work to be done before he gets the all clear, but Porter is back with the Bucks and on the court, giving this team some needed good news.
Bucks could desperately use Kevin Porter Jr. back
The Milwaukee Bucks have taken haymaker after haymaker to open the season. In addition to Porter's injury just minutes into their season, Taurean Prince has also been ruled out indefinitely due to a neck procedure, and Giannis Antetokounmpo is also out for one to two weeks due to a groin strain. To pile on, the Bucks are also just 2-4 in their last six games. There hasn't been much to smile about.
Kevin Porter Jr.'s return won't fix everything for the Bucks, but it will certainly help. Milwaukee owns the NBA's worst offense when Giannis is off the floor but the best when he is on it. This team must find a way to avoid crashing and burning when their star sits. Porter, a bucket-getter who can get it done from all three levels, can help in that regard.
There were plenty of Bucks fans who predicted he'd be the team's second-leading scorer this year, and that could still hold true. He looked well on his way in his first nine minutes this season, pouring in 10 points, two assists, and a steal before exiting. If he can pick up where he left off, Porter's return could be the ultimate shot in the arm this team needs to shake this early-season misery.
For now, the rest of the Bucks must hold things down while Antetokounmpo, Porter, and Prince all recover from early injuries. Backup is on the way. This will be a great time to find out what the rest of this Bucks squad is made of.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.