3 Burning Questions For Bucks Heading Into 2025-26 Season

NBA opening day for the 2025-26 season has finally arrived and there might not be a team with as much riding on the results of it as the Milwaukee Bucks. Here are three burning questions that the Central Division contender faces. 3 Burning Questions For Bucks Heading Into 2025-26 Season Who Is Damian Lillard’s Successor? Despite the obvious importance of Jrue Holiday, perhaps the Bucks can’t be faulted for completing a trade for Damian Lillard given his stature. Either way, the tense experiment is finally over, even if the ending was unceremonious. Now, with Lillard’s contract waived and stretched, both parties can move forward. For Lillard, that apparently meant returning to the Portland Trail Blazers, though he’s planning to sit out all of 2025-26. For Milwaukee, that means finding Lillard’s successor (or perhaps Holiday’s true successor). Though Ryan Rollins had exceeded expectations last season, it appeared that the Bucks may start Cole Anthony, who they signed less than two weeks after Lillard’s release. Anthony absolutely has defensive limitations due to his height and lack of elite athleticism, but averages 15.2 points and 4.9 assists per game as a starter. In the 2025-26 preseason, Milwaukee instead started Kevin Porter Jr. at point guard. Across four contests, the 25-year-old averaged 10.5 points and 4.5 assists in 18.9 minutes per game on .571-.600-.500 shooting splits. He was a shrewd facilitator, smooth scorer and solid defender. At the end of the day, he’s simply more competent and complete than Rollins or Anthony, though both guards will still provide value off the bench. It’s worth mentioning that Porter averaged 17.2 points and 6.0 assists per game in three seasons with the Houston Rockets. What Is Kyle Kuzma’s Role? Anthony starting for the Bucks was possible but it’s not altogether too surprising that Milwaukee didn’t go that route. It’s much more shocking to see Kyle Kuzma come off the bench. Though the Bucks did remove him from the starting lineup during his horrendous postseason performance, he had started in all but three games since 2021-22.