The Milwaukee Bucks have ruled out Kevin Porter Jr. once again for Tuesday’s game against the Knicks, reports Eric Nehm of The Athletic. The sprained left ankle Porter suffered nine minutes into the season kept him out during the road trip to Toronto and Cleveland and the team clearly struggled without him.
When Cole Anthony sat out Sunday with an illness, Doc Rivers had no real answer to turn to at point guard after Ryan Rollins. Neither Andre Jackson Jr. nor Mark Sears made anything of limited minutes. It didn’t help that Kuzma missed the contest as well with his own ankle sprain, eliminating a source of secondary playmaking. Both he and Anthony are questionable on tomorrow’s injury report.
If Anthony misses again, or even if he plays but isn’t quite himself, Doc will be scrambling again to find backup minutes at the point.
Thin point guard rotation has Doc Rivers on the ropes
Elevated to a starting role, Rollins has impressed. In three games he’s averaging 12 points, 4.3 assists, and 2.7 steals in 31 minutes. In Cleveland, he tallied eight assists to two turnovers as the Bucks leaned into him as a playmaker. Despite doubts over whether he is ready to act as a full-fledged point guard, he has answered the bell early.
Mar 30, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Ryan Rollins (13) during the game against the Atlanta Hawks at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
Without either Porter or Anthony available, the problem is filling minutes after Rollins. Anthony gave the Bucks a crucial boost in Toronto, providing 23 points and seven dimes off the bench. Having him active in any capacity would be a shot in the arm, but if he is still a bit under the weather and not up to his usual minutes, they’ll need to inject additional playmaking. Obviously, that becomes a much bigger problem if he misses the game altogether.
Will Doc turn again to Sears? Or will he ask someone like Trent to play a bit outside his comfort zone as a creator? Giannis Antetokounmpo and Rollins can only do so much to run the offense. In the loss to Cleveland they had 17 assists between them. Just 10 minutes of capable work from someone like Sears could make a world of difference, tiding the Bucks over while Giannis sits and taking some pressure off Rollins.
Oct 26, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) drives to the basket between Cleveland Cavaliers guard De’Andre Hunter (12) and center Jarrett Allen (31) during the first quarter at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Unfortunately, Sears wasn’t able to give them that last time: no points, no assists, one turnover in seven minutes of action. At times, he looked downright bewildered.
Hopefully Anthony can suit up. With limited options otherwise, cobbling together a viable point guard rotation will be no easy task.
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