Training camp is where the Milwaukee Bucks start sorting out the messiest parts of their roster, and this year the biggest decisions are sitting right at the top of the depth chart. The starting lineup is anything but settled, and Taylor Jenkins could end up choosing his first five based entirely on what he sees once camp gets rolling.
One of the clearest battles is in the backcourt, where Tyler Herro seems locked in because of his sizeable contract, leaving one spot up for grabs. Kevin Porter Jr. and Ryan Rollins are the two names to watch.
Both spent plenty of time starting last season, and both have real arguments heading into camp. Rollins brings ball-handling and off-ball value, plus the kind of defense that could ease some of the pressure on Herro.
Porter, meanwhile, offers shot creation and the ability to take more control of the offense. For both guards, this week matters a lot.
Small forward may be even murkier. Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Ousmane Dieng look like the most likely options to open there, and each comes with a different kind of case.
Jaquez has the experience edge, but there’s also a strong argument that his best fit is as a reserve after finishing second in the Sixth Man of the Year race last season. Still, a larger role could push him to another level.
Dieng has a similar chance to grow, especially after looking like a real contributor for the first time in his NBA career once he arrived in Milwaukee. This one could go right down to the wire.
Then there’s Brayden Burries, who enters camp in a crowded guard room and has to fight for every inch. The Bucks have plenty of names in front of him, including the three guards already mentioned, along with AJ Green, Kasparas Jakucionis, and Gary Trent Jr.
That means Burries has to go straight at the competition if he wants to make noise early. If he can stand out in those matchups, especially against the other guards, he could push his way into the rotation and maybe into a much bigger role than expected.
The Bucks have a lot to sort through, and camp should reveal a lot about how this team will look next season.
In Other News...
Bucks Land In Massive Stephen Curry Trade Debate
Bleacher Reports Grant Hughes kicked up a fresh round of roster debate this week with a hypothetical trade that would reshape the Warriors supporting cast around Stephen Curry. The proposal sends Tyler Herro, Myles Turner, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kevin Porter Jr. to Golden State in exchange for Jimmy Butler, Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, Will Richard and two future first-round picks, creating a far-reaching conversation about how both sides might retool if they ever chose to get aggressive.
For Milwaukee fans, the real intrigue is less about whether this specific deal is imminent than what it says about how quickly the market can shift around a star-driven team. The exercise underscores how front offices keep searching for combinations of established talent, young pieces and draft capital that can change a contenders ceiling, even when there is no sign a trade is actually being pursued. [Read more 🡒]
Peyton Watson Could Change How The Bucks View This Rebuild
Peyton Watson has already become one of the more intriguing names tied to Milwaukees next phase, even before anything concrete happens. The Nuggets forward fits the kind of player the Bucks have had to think harder about in a changing roster picture: a long, athletic two-way wing who could matter on both ends if he ever becomes available. For a team trying to stay competitive while also reshaping its future, that sort of profile naturally stands out.
What makes the situation worth watching is how quickly it could shift from theoretical to real if the right deal structure emerges, especially with Denver weighing its options under financial pressure. Around the league, Milwaukee has been mentioned as a logical spot for Watson, which only adds to the sense that this is more than background noise for the Bucks. For now, though, it remains one of those offseason threads that says as much about where Milwaukee wants to go as it does about where Watson might land. [Read more 🡒]