Kevin Porter Jr. isn’t auditioning anymore. He’s just hooping like someone who’s finally been handed the keys. And Bucks fans have been saying this for a while: he's absolutely a starting caliber player in this league.
In the Bucks’ recent 116-101 win over the Boston Celtics, Porter Jr. dropped an absurd 18 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds on 6-of-10 shooting and a perfect 5-of-5 at the line. That’s not a “breakout” line. That’s starting point guard production on a team that desperately needed someone to steady the ship after a rough stretch.
Kevin Porter Jr. is proving himself again and again
None of this is surprising to the fanbase.
The Milwaukee faithful has been screaming for months that KPJ has all the tools: the size, physicality, rim pressure, defensive bite, and ability to run an offense without melting down in crunch time. He’s been defending at a legit playoff level and making reads that weren’t in his game two years ago. The maturity jump is obvious, the two-way impact is real, and the confidence is finally matching the talent.
He's not just ready to start -- he's ready to lead. According to Cleaning the Glass, the Bucks are scoring six additional points per 100 possessions every time Porter Jr. steps on the floor, while their effective field goal percentage goes up 3.4 points. Porter is in the 83rd and 85th percentiles in those stats among other players in his position.
And the eye test proves it. What this Celtics game really confirmed is that KPJ changes the entire geometry of the Bucks’ offense. When he’s initiating, Giannis doesn’t have to brute-force his way through two bodies every trip. Shooters actually get fed in rhythm. Lineups with second-unit guys don’t immediately combust because someone can create something out of nothing.
This is important because for a franchise walking into the most important offseason of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s career, KPJ’s rise might be the quiet factor holding it all together.
If Giannis is going to stay, he needs to believe there’s a path back to contention. And just maybe, KPJ developing into a true starting-caliber point guard gives this team a direction again. It gives them someone who can actually grow with Giannis instead of aging out next to him.
Bucks fans have known this, but the league still has yet to catch on. They’ve seen how he stabilizes the offense, how he shifts defenders with his drives, how the ball actually moves when he’s initiating.
If his trajectory holds, KPJ becomes more than a breakout player. He becomes a reason for Giannis to believe this franchise isn’t stuck in the mud forever. The Bucks need internal development more than anything right now, and Porter looks like the exact kind of piece you keep if you're hoping to build something that can actually last.
He’s playing the best basketball of his career, and it’s not just inconsistent flashes anymore -- it’s real, sustainable, and exactly what the Bucks need as they try to claw their way back into relevance. KPJ keeps proving what fans already knew: he’s that guy, and he’s just getting started.
Obviously, he’s far from a finished product. The fouling and turnover problems are still way too glaring. But he’s proving, game by game, that the Bucks might already have their long-term answer at point guard. And one more reason for their franchise player to believe the future in Milwaukee is worth sticking around for.
At this point, calling Kevin Porter Jr. a pleasant surprise undersells what he’s actually doing. He’s hooping like a real starting point guard, period.
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