Milwaukee Bucks: Projecting Next Season’s 15-Man Roster and Depth Chart as Final Shape Nears

Small forward: Kyle Kuzma, Taurean Prince, Andre Jackson Jr. 

Note: Jackson can also play the two, but the Bucks have plenty of depth there. 

Kuzma doesn’t have to start. Ideally, the Bucks find a way to trade him before the season begins, but that doesn’t seem too likely. He gets the nod over Prince here partly due to the uneasy optics of having a $20 million contract sitting on the bench over a league minimum salary.

If the Bucks do ever want to unload Kuzma, putting him in the starting lineup is the best way to rehabilitate his value. For all his flaws, he’s also more athletic and versatile than Prince, who is an elite shooter but little else. At least to start the season, Kuzma earns the starting job.

There’s been talk that Jackson might not make the team. He hasn’t looked great in Summer League, plagued by the sloppiness that drove fans nuts last season.

When he isn’t foul-happy, however, he plays high-quality defense and has a more robust track record than someone like Chris Livingston. The latter has been balling out in Summer League but fans have seen that movie before. He’s done nothing with the Bucks in two years. The former 58th pick was only a fringe starter in his one year of college. He’s not a better option than Jackson, who started 43 games for Milwaukee in 2024-25.

Power forward: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis, Tyler Smith.

Note: Giannis and Portis will of course share the court together, as in seasons past, with BP playing the five. Due to a lack of small forward depth, Smith could also see minutes there.

Not much to say here. Portis can switch seamlessly between the four and five spots, just like always. With Giannis off the floor, he is though the most natural substitute. Smith hasn’t played well this summer but is only entering year two and has plenty of potential. Give him a spot.

Center: Myles Turner, Jericho Sims. 

As noted above, Portis will also see plenty of time as a backup five. Even Giannis could play that role in certain lineups. For his part, Turner gives them a starting center something like what they had in prime Brook Lopez, a stretch big with elite shot blocking abilies.

Sims is mostly a depth piece but that’s ok. Giannis, Turner, and Portis will eat up the vast majority of frontcourt playing time. That doesn’t include Smith minutes. Sims offers energy and a change of pace off the end of the bench.

Mascot/Chief Cheerleader: Thanasis Antetokounmpo. 

The Bucks reportedly plan to re-sign Giannis’ older brother, who is a greater sideline and locker room presence. Having him there makes Giannis happy. Enough said to justify his bid for the final Milwaukee roster spot.

Two-way players: Pete Nance, Jamaree Bouyea, Mark Sears. 

Teams can carry three two-way players during the regular season. In this version of events, 47th pick Bogolijub Markovic is stashed overseas to continue developing. A first look at his Summer League play suggests he needs it. 

One could argue that Livingston has earned a spot here, but the Bucks shouldn’t be fooled. They didn’t sign Sears to his own two-way contract for nothing.

Even with Anthony on a one-year deal, it won’t hurt them to see what they have in the way of future point guard stock. Sears, who’s been injured for Summer League, hasn’t had a chance to show himself yet in the NBA or G League. Livingston has.

In limited chances, Livingston hasn’t revealed the flashes that guys like Smith or Nance have. Those two both showed out in last season’s finale, when the benches emptied. Livingston has yet to have a game like that in the NBA. That means something when limited sample sizes are all there is to work with. The first team All-American, Sears, gets the nod.

Nance has impressed in summer play but he’s also excited some fans in glimpses of regular season action. The 6-foot-10 forward delivered a line of 19 points, 6 boards, and 5 assists, plus 2 blocks and a 5-9 mark from deep, against the Pistons in April.

Bouyea looked excellent in two Summer League games before sitting out game three with an injury. It’s more than that, though. He’s exciting enough, at a position of future need, that the Bucks should maintain a contractual connection.