Five Bucks Questions: Kris Johnson on Giannis, Turner, and KPJ

I had five Milwaukee Bucks questions for Kris Johnson, co-host of the Hear District podcast:

Question: Do you think we’ll be seeing Giannis Antetokounmpo on-ball more this season and playing that point forward role?

Answer: Yes, I do think we’ll see a lot more point-Giannis this year, considering the current roster makeup of the Bucks, where you have (Kevin Porter Jr.), Ryan Rollins and Cole Anthony as your primary ballhandlers. I think that the way Giannis finished the season last year, the last 14 games where he averaged somewhere near a triple-double, his usage on the ball will go up, and he’s poised to probably make a two-to-three assist per game jump.

I think he’ll finish anywhere between eight and nine assists per game this year, so to answer your question, I think point Giannis is gonna be a real thing that Doc (Rivers) is gonna employ early and often this season.

Q: Giannis will now be paired with Myles Turner. What did you think of the signing, and do you think Doc Rivers will utilize him the same way as Brook Lopez or could we see different wrinkles?

A: Myles Turner was arguably the most coveted free agent on the market this summer, and for Jon Horst to pull this off was one of the shrewdest moves. He turned lemons into lemonade.

Damian Lillard had a busted Achilles, and you weren’t going to be able to get an injured player exemption. I’ve heard the comparison with him and Brook, but Myles is eight years younger, and he has a different level of agility and speed offensively than Brook, which will be more advantageous for the Bucks. And on the defensive end, I think he’s a lot more fleet of foot, and Giannis can still play that rover role where he can be a free safety and affect the game defensively all over the court.

Q: I wanted to ask you about one of the young rotation guys. What did you think of Kevin Porter Jr.’s play last season and the decision to re-sign him? And where does he have to grow his game?

A: It was definitely a risky decision to bring him in. He’s shown flashes throughout his career. If you’re like me, you remember his 50-point game in Houston as a 22-year-old, but if you’re being a realist, his career has been up and down. The last 10 games last season, the Bucks started Kevin Porter Jr., Gary Trent Jr. and A.J. Green and they had one of the highest plus/minuses with that group and they were highly efficient, and their chemistry was off the hook.

And KPJ has a unique chemistry with Giannis. He has a really tight connection with him and their numbers on the floor together were really good.

In terms of what Kevin Porter Jr. needs to do this season to be that stable guy is to minimize the lows. This is a guy who has incredible highs, and he has some of the most incredible lows that sort of turn into avalanches, and he almost becomes unplayable.

For me, he has to make a jump on the defensive side of the ball. I think he has the tools, he has the athleticism. He needs to have the commitment on that side of the ball to make sure, hey, even though I might be going through some offensive lows here, not making the right reads and off with my shot, but defensively I’m making an impact throughout the game that translates to winning.

So for me, the biggest thing Kevin Porter Jr. has to do is get himself into a place mentally where he’s more stable and consistent when things don’t go his way.

Q: What did you think of the Cole Anthony signing and how much might he benefit from a change of scenery?

A: I like the Cole Anthony signing. I think Cole’s value will be more for the Bucks because of the system and structure of the Bucks’ roster. His scoring punch at the point guard is very underrated. I don’t think people are really thinking about him like that, but he’s a guy who can get you 30 in a hurry. With no Dame, the Bucks are going to need somebody who is tested. It’s not like Ryan Rollins, who obviously has all the potential in the world, or KPJ, that’s been so up and down; Cole is probably as sure a bet you can get in the Bucks guard room.

Q: With so many new players having to be integrated this season, do you think there has to be a certain level of patience early on?

A: Yeah, that’s a good question because that’s sort of been the line the last several years. I don’t think there’s a lot of patience anymore. I think there’s a lot of pressure on the Bucks.

This is Giannis’ prime. He’s coming off arguably what he calls his greatest achievement at Eurobasket, leading Greece to that bronze medal. He’s already going to be in very good physical condition by the time training camp starts. He’s gonna hit the ground running. I feel like Giannis will come out and set the tone this season, and I don’t think it’s going to be a patience thing from jump street.

There’s a lot of pressure on Doc. There’s a lot of pressure on everybody in the Bucks organization right now to win now. You made some huge moves this offseason, so I don’t think the Bucks are in a position to be patient.

Now, should we not say the sky is falling if they come out after three or four games and everybody doesn’t look to be hitting on all cylinders? Yeah, sure, I’m with you on that. But as far as trying to figure it out, hey, that’s what training camp is for.

I expect the Bucks to hit the ground running, Giannis to be the focal point of the offense, and figure out how to get everybody involved.

You can follow Kris Johnson on X at @PointForwardPro

Andy Roth has covered the NBA for various outlets since 1979. Follow him @arhooptalk

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