The Milwaukee Bucks are 17-24 on the year midway through the 2025-26 NBA season. This, obviously, is not where the team saw itself being when they released and extended the cap hit of Damian Lillard during the offseason. With the money they saved this year by releasing Lillard, they signed center Myles Turner and retained much of their core, which went 48-34 and finished fifth in the NBA Eastern Conference.
However, injuries have caused star Giannis Antetokounmpo to miss 14 games so far this year, and the rest of the roster, overall, has performed well below expectations. As the NBA trade deadline nears, the team is confident that they will be able to make an improvement to their roster without giving up Giannis, who recently reiterated his desire to remain in Milwaukee.
But, until that happens, the Bucks are trying everything they can to win games, including utilizing a different starting lineup on Monday against the Atlanta Hawks.
The Milwaukee Bucks have moved Kyle Kuzma back into the starting lineup
Dec 29, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller (24) gets fouled by Milwaukee Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma (18) during the second half at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images
Due to the injuries that the Bucks have sustained this season, they are no strangers to experimenting with different starting lineups. That being said, the Bucks injury report for their matchup against the Hawks is relatively clean, and everyone who was expected to be healthy is.
Despite this, head coach Doc Rivers is rolling with a different starting lineup in Atlanta:
The Bucks have opted for a starting lineup change today in Atlanta.
Kevin Porter Jr. had started all 21 games he has played in since he returned to action on Nov. 29 in Brooklyn. https://t.co/VVch6o488z
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) January 19, 2026
As one can see from the post(s) above, the Bucks are moving Kevin Porter Jr. to the bench in favor of Kyle Kuzma. In previous games, Porter has started alongside Ryan Rollins in the back court with AJ Green playing small forward.
Now, Green is going to play shooting guard, his natural position, while Kuzma starts at small forward.
Milwaukee has lost three games in a row, as has Atlanta, and their hope presumably is that bringing Porter, who dominates the ball, off the bench will help the starting offense flow better.
Kuzma is coming off a game against the San Antonio Spurs in which he scored 18 points off the bench for the Bucks. Hopefully, his presence in the starting lineup also improves Milwaukee’s rebounding, which has been abysmal with just two true front court players on the floor.
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