In the first game following Giannis Antetokounmpo’s injury, the Milwaukee Bucks adapted the starting lineup by inserting Bobby Portis into his spot at power forward. Kyle Kuzma remained in place at the three. Ditto for AJ Green at shooting guard – no reason for change there.
If Gary Trent Jr. was hoping for his way back into the starting five, Doc Rivers made his answer clear. Even with Giannis out, he likes other options better.
Choosing Portis over Trent strong indication that latter will continue in bench role
Trent started the first 12 games of the season before losing his job to Kuzma. A big reason for that, aside from Trent’s subpar shooting, is his vulnerable lack of size to match up with other small forwards. It all adds up to a -26.4 on-off rating, per Cleaning the Glass. For Trent, the 2025-26 season has been hell on both sides of the ball.
Apr 3, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Gary Trent Jr (5) reacts against the Philadelphia 76ers in the third quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
With Giannis out, however, whether Doc would go back to Trent at the three and slide Kuzma to the four was a legitimate question.
On the one hand, Portis seems like an easy substitution. He is, after all, a power forward by trade. But Kuzma is also more of a four than a three. Without Giannis’ playmaking, a lineup featuring all three of him, Kuzma, and Myles Turner is an ambitious combination of size and potential clunkiness.
And while Portis has size, he is still a liability defensively, making him anything but an optimum fit. Plus, without Portis on the bench, the Bucks leave themselves without much scoring power in the second unit. They can simulate it by aggressively staggering Portis, Kuzma, and Turner, but that bench production isn’t there by default. For all that he does well, Jericho Sims isn’t going to fill a Portis-like role as sixth man scorer. In 16 minutes against Philly, he scored four points (2-2) and grabbed three boards.
And still, still Doc went with Portis. With how badly Trent played as a starter, he left the Bucks little choice.
Nov 1, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis (9) takes a shot against Sacramento Kings guard Keon Ellis (23) in the second quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
Going with BP paid dividends for Milwaukee, though not, ultimately, in the win column. Indeed Portis had his best game this season with 19 points and eight rebounds on 9-14 from the field.
Trent, meanwhile, still got 38 minutes – missing both Giannis and Kevin Porter Jr., the Bucks just don’t have many options – and scored 11 points (4-10 overall, 3-7 from three). His contributions have improved since his demotion, as he is averaging 11 PPG in four contests on 46% from the floor and 45.5% from distance. While he has been better, that alone is another reason for Milwaukee to keep him where he’s had more success. And for now, that is planted firmly on the bench.
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