One word comes to mind when discussing Kevin Porter Jr.'s transition to the Milwaukee Bucks after a deal at the NBA Trade Deadline: seamless.
With Damian Lillard sidelined, the guard has been forced to step up mightily and has shown that he's up for the task. In seven games this month, he's averaging 16.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.1 assists and two steals per game. A big reason for Porter's comfortability in Milwaukee is the trust his teammates have in him and his growing chemistry with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Lately, the two-man group between these two has been clicking, resulting in a handful of lob plays to put points on the scoreboard. After Milwaukee's recent win over the Detroit Pistons, where the Bucks secured the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, Porter spoke about Antetokounmpo's greatness and how he felt about the big man before they teamed up in Milwaukee.
Kevin Porter Jr. is glad he's on the Greek Freak's side now
"If anyone's a fan of basketball and you get to watch every night the dominance and what Giannis does, it's unbelievable. It's a blessing honestly. For me, I hated him when I was on the opposing team... We knew exactly what he was going to do. But me being here now and seeing the ins and outs and not just playing against it and seeing it from afar, bro, he's destined for greatness. There's nothing surprising of what he's able to do."
Giannis Antetokounmpo likely wasn't the biggest fan of Porter when the guard put up 50 points vs. the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021, but that is neither here nor there.
It's understandable to hate Giannis Antetokounmpo when he's not on your team. He's a sheer force of nature that is consistently evolving. Whether he's bulldozing his way to the hoop, sinking a mid-range jumper or finding a teammate with a pretty pass, he knows how to terrorize opposing defenses. Oh, yeah, he's arguably also the best defensive player in the entire NBA. Tough to gameplan for.
Porter is benefitting from all of this in Milwaukee. When he's on the floor with Antetokounmpo, he has more room to operate due to the Greek Freak's gravity. When they utilize that two-man game, Porter knows he can throw it up as high as he needs to, and Giannis will find a way to throw it down, a result that has happened a handful of times lately. Their chemistry is only growing stronger.
This month, Porter is shooting 10-of-17 (58.8 percent) off passes from Antetokounmpo. Not only are the 10 makes the most he has courtesy of any teammate's passes, but in that span, it's also the most efficient tally he's put together outside of a 100 percent clip off one pass from Andre Jackson Jr. The guard is thriving by playing alongside the superstar.
Playing with Porter is also helping Giannis Antetokounmpo. While the forward has still had to take on much more responsibility without Lillard, Porter has given him a complementary scorer and facilitator who can take some of the pressure off of him, especially in the clutch. That play is among the primary reasons for Milwaukee's seven-game win streak that includes several late-game clutch victories.
It's not controversial to say that this two-man pairing could be the ultimate X-factor in Milwaukee's upcoming first-round series against the Indiana Pacers.
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