Milwaukee Bucks Can Win The Title Again With New-Look Depth Chart For The 2025-26 Season

It's been an active summer in the NBA and the Bucks, like many other teams, have been hard at work trying to make improvements to their roster. With Giannis Antetokounmpo on board, they already have a superstar to lead the way but it became clear the Bucks needed more after losing in the first round of the 2025 playoffs.

To make matters worse, Damian Lillard tore his Achilles in April, meaning the Bucks were facing the prospect of going an entire season without the services of their starting point guard. As doubt began to rise in Milwaukee, Giannis' loyalties became increasingly uncertain, and many fans thought he might get traded as the situation began to destabilize.

In response, the Bucks took action almost right away by stretching and waiving Damian Lillard's contract to make way for Myles Turner. They also said goodbye to Brook Lopez while re-signing key contributors like Bobby Portis, Taurean Prince, and Gary Trent Jr. For a Bucks team that was considered an afterthought in the East, they have a really solid rotation that may push them into another tier of contention next season.

So let's take a look at the updated depth chart for the Milwaukee Bucks following an eventful offseason of change.

Depth Chart

Point Guard: Kevin Porter Jr., Vasilije Micic, Gary Harris, Jamaree Bouyea

Shooting Guard: Gary Trent Jr., AJ Green, Andre Jackson Jr., Stanley Umude

Small Forward: Kyle Kuzma, Taurean Prince

Power Forward: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jericho Sims, Tyler Smith

Center: Myles Turner, Bobby Portis

The Starters

Kevin Porter Jr., Gary Trent Jr., Kyle Kuzma, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Myles Turner

The Bucks are built around Giannis Antetokounmpo, and he's expected to be squarely in the mix for MVP next season. While it's been some time since his last championship run, Giannis (30) is still in the prime of his career, and he's coming off an excellent season with averages of 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game on 60.2% shooting.

Giannis will be the star of the show and the focal point of the offense, but he'll have plenty of help in the starting unit. The first line of defense is Giannis' newest teammate, Myles Turner. In a shocking offseason move, they signed him to a massive contract (four years, $107 million). Turner's presence in the paint should help make the Bucks a potent defensive team as well as give Giannis someone to dish the ball to as he's driving to the rim.

The Bucks replaced Khris Middleton with Kyle Kuzma back in February, and it's gotten mixed results. While consistency and efficient shooting have been areas of difficulty for Kuzma, he still has great offensive potential, and his mere presence as a shooter and scorer helps open up the floor for the rest of the starters.

The backcourt is arguably the weakest spot for the Bucks. After parting with Damian Lillard, they don't have an established veteran to run the offense. Still, they do have Kevin Porter Jr., a former 30th overall pick in 2019. At 25 years old, he may be on the verge of a breakout campaign, and it would be a major boost alongside sharpshooter Gary Trent Jr.,  who averaged 11.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game for the Bucks last season.

The Bench

Vasilije Micic, AJ Green, Taurean Prince, Jericho Sims, Bobby Portis, Andre Jackson Jr., Gary Harris

As usual, the Bucks' second unit will be led by Bobby Portis, who has proudly served in the role for years. As a crafty 6'10" big man, Portis brings a lot of energy to the game, and his offensive skills will surely help keep the Bucks competitive when Giannis or Turner is off the floor. In 49 games last season, he averaged 13.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists on 46.6% shooting.

Taurean Prince will be another key player off the bench for Milwaukee. As a nine-year NBA veteran, he adds depth at the shooting guard position with his two-way game and selfless play style. He was a favorite of head coach Doc Rivers and even started in 73 games with averages of 8.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game on 45.7% shooting.

At point guard, Vasilije Micic isn't going to dominate games, but he should be enough to hold it down for the second unit. At 31 years old, he has years of experience and knows how to make game-winning plays. He'll be joined by AJ Green in the backcourt, who is a 42.7% three-point shooter for his career.

Finally, while Jericho Sims may be a natural center, he can also effectively play the power forward at 6'10". He had a career-best year with the Bucks last season, and if he can continue to develop his game, he may find even greater success in this new rotation.

Bucks Will Be An Elite Eastern Conference Team

Since winning the championship in 2021, the Milwaukee Bucks have been an afterthought in the East. They broke up that championship team to get Damian Lillard, and now even Brook Lopez has departed for a change of scenery. 

With too much pressure and a lot of uncertainty, the Bucks felt they had no choice but to mix things up and take a massive risk this summer. By the look of their new roster, it could pay off with an ultimate victory, but there's no way to say for sure how the Bucks will stack up against other juggernauts like the Knicks, Cavaliers, and Pacers.

The biggest difference will no doubt be the absence of Damian Lillard. The Bucks will miss his scoring, but now they can rely on Myles Turner's defense, which could change their entire trajectory as a franchise. As always, the Bucks will only go as far as Giannis takes them, and so far, he seems pleased with the current state of the roster and his chances to make a run in 2026.