The Most Important Reserve on the Milwaukee Bucks Next Season

The Milwaukee Bucks are going to need all of the help they can get next season. They were able to acquire some young pieces from the Miami Heat in exchange for Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the bar is set relatively low.

If they Bucks want to remain competitive and even compete for a spot in the play-in tournament, it's going to take a team effort from the starters to the reserves. There's one reserve on the Bucks roster who is going to have to be an important piece for the team's success, and that's Kevin Porter Jr.

Though Porter Jr. only appeared in 38 games and missed majority for the Bucks last season dealing with injuries including arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in April, his production was still impactful.

He averaged 17.4, points, 7.4 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 2.2 steals on 46.5% shooting from the field in his second season in Milwaukee. He was the team's second leading scorer, and though his efficiency from 3-point range was not the best only shooting 32.2% from beyond the arc, he was able to command the offense comfortably.

On top of having a duffle bag of moves that allows him to score anywhere on the court, he's a good playmaker as he led the team in assists while being one of the team's primary ball handler.

Highest Assist Percentage On Drives In The 2025-26 NBA Regular Season (Min. 400 Drives):

1. Jamal Shead — 16.8%
2. Walter Clayton Jr. — 16.2%
3. Russell Westbrook — 16.1%
4. Collin Gillespie — 14.5%
5. Kevin Porter Jr. — 14.3%
6. Davion Mitchell — 14.1%
7. Nolan Traore — 13.9%… https://t.co/ZQQbq4J3cq pic.twitter.com/Eov9EezIHQ
— Clutch Numbers (@ClutchNumbers) July 30, 2026

Porter Jr. exercised his $5.39 million player option to return to the Bucks during late June, but it's unclear to whether he'll be on the roster before opening night.

Milwaukee has a cluster of guards, and with the Bucks looking to make additional moves such as pursuing Denver Nuggets forward Peyton Watson, his name could very well be added in trade conservations.

The Nuggets have lowered their asking price to one “high-level player” and a first-round pick in a sign-and-trade for Peyton Watson, per Shams.

The Bucks would have an impact player such as Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kevin Porter Jr., or AJ Green to offer, as well as draft capital. https://t.co/Ua4eCkVC9d
— Jake Weinbach (@JWeinbachNBA) July 28, 2026

However, if Porter Jr. slides pass the possible trade rumors and remains on Milwaukee's roster, his impact would be essential for the Bucks. Tyler Herro and Ryan Rollins are most likely to be the two starting guards for next season, despite Porter Jr. starting in 36 of his 38 games from a season ago.

As a result, he'll most likely be moved to the bench and play along with rookie Brayden Burries who is also expected to play an impactful role off the bench. Porter Jr. will have a chance to lead the second unit off the bench and play alongside Burries, as well as potentially Kel'el Ware who is a perfect lob threat for a distributor like Porter Jr.

Burries is combo guard that can play either guard position and excelled at it when playing alongside the Big 12 Player of the Year in Jaden Bradley at Arizona. His minutes might change but his role as a shot creator and a playmaker won't. He can help ease the stress off Burries as a ball-handler, facilitate and provide another scoring option off the bench for the Bucks.

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