Key Bucks starter suffers torn meniscus

The Milwaukee Bucks will be without the team’s most dynamic guard for at least the next month.

Bucks veteran Kevin Porter Jr. tore the meniscus in his right knee on Thursday as he began his return-to-play training. The team announced on Friday night that Porter will need to undergo a “minor orthopedic procedure” to repair the issue, which would sideline him for “approximately four weeks.”

The 25-year-old had been working his way back after hurting his ankle during Milwaukee’s season opener against the Washington Wizards. He recorded 10 points and a pair of assists through nine minutes in the contest before sustaining the ankle injury. Porter has not taken the floor since then.

There were high expectations for Porter entering the season. With Damian Lillard stunningly being waived by the Bucks in the offseason, Porter was expected to be thrust into the team’s lead guard role. Porter averaged 11.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.7 assists across 30 games in a Bucks uniform last season.

With KPJ on the sidelines, journeyman guard Ryan Rollins has emerged as an early-season breakout candidate. The news on Porter comes after Rollins had the best game of his career on Thursday in a win over the Warriors. The Toledo product erupted for 32 points and 8 assists in a 120-110 victory, seemingly putting his weird shoplifting fiasco in the rearview mirror.