With a revamped roster, the Milwaukee Bucks have plenty of options to choose from when forging their 2025-26 starting lineup. In a recent projected starting five ranking, Bleacher Report suggests that Cole Anthony, Kevin Porter Jr., Kyle Kuzma, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Myles Turner will be Milwaukee's group. They should steer clear of this group at any point, let alone starting games.
The Milwaukee Bucks absolutely can't use this starting group
Bleacher Report ranked this group as the 22nd best projected starting five in the NBA, and they're not exactly wrong. This group wouldn't work at all, and it all starts with 3-point shooting, a crucial component of any lineup that features Giannis Antetokounmpo. Throwing this unit out there would be a slap in the face to the Greek Freak.
For his career, Anthony has shot 34.5 percent from deep. Porter is at 35.1 percent. Kuzma has hit a mere 33.4 percent of his triple tries. Giannis is 28.4 percent. Turner is the best of the bunch, coming in at 36.2 percent. Why would the Milwaukee Bucks deploy a lineup like this, knowing just how much they need shooting around their star? The floor spacing would be flat-out horrific.
It especially wouldn't make sense due to the amount of other quality 3-point shooters on the roster.
Porter should start at point guard, while Gary Trent Jr. or AJ Green, both 40 percent outside shooters last season, should start at the two. Some think they could both start at the two and the three. Yet, it feels much likelier that Doc Rivers would start Taurean Prince, a 43.9 percent 3-point shooter last year, at the small forward spot. Turner and Antetokounmpo can stay put.
A lineup of Porter, Trent, Prince, Antetokounmpo, and Turner would make much more sense on paper. Green, Prince, and Turner can provide excellent floor spacing, while Porter can be a secondary scorer. While Porter isn't a pure point guard, he won't need to be. Giannis will control most of the offense next season, so Porter can play off the ball, a role he can thrive in as a combo guard.
The Milwaukee Bucks would have plenty of firepower off the bench, with Cole Anthony serving as a nice ball-handling sparkplug. Kyle Kuzma playing his natural position of power forward behind Giannis could give him a needed jolt. Of course, there are also impact players like Bobby Portis, Ryan Rollins, and Jericho Sims ready to make an immediate impact.
Only time will tell what Doc Rivers has up his sleeve, but this projected lineup cannot be it.
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