Pop quiz one focused on Giannis Antetokounmpo, while pop quiz two featured Ryan Rollins. Up next is the most divisive Buck, Kevin “Sakuta” Porter Jr.

Season in a snippet

38 GP, 33.2 MPG, 17.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 7.4 APG, 2.2 SPG, 0.5 BPG, .465/.322/.878

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Kyle’s end of season grade: B-

Porter ended last season on such a tear that Jon Horst waived and stretched Damian Lillard’s contract to sign Myles Turner and hand him the keys—and I wrote a screenplay about it! Everything looked good early too. Porter was officially named starting point guard in late November, and through the first nine minutes of opening night he already had 10 points, two assists, and a steal. Then, in what would end up being a harbinger of things to come for both Porter and the Bucks, he rolled an ankle stepping on Bobby Portis’ foot that caused him to miss several games. Things only got worse for KPJ when he sustained a meniscus injury during on-court return-to-play training that kept him sidelined for another four weeks. Still, I was so convinced that this was his “rebirth” season that I doubled down and wrote another screenplay in preparation for his return.

When he did return, KPJ’s play vindicated my efforts; the Bucks immediately snapped a seven-game losing streak and Porter started posting monster stat lines—thirty-point nights, triple-doubles, nearing the league lead in steals. However, as has been the case throughout his career, his play didn’t always translate to wins, with the Bucks hovering around .500 until he was forced out yet again, this time with knee swelling. His return from this was much more successful from a winning standpoint—the Bucks went 7-2 as Porter put up 21.9 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 7.9 APG, and 2.7 SPG—but it didn’t last long. The Bucks spiralled and Porter underwent season-ending knee surgery, leaving him to spend the off-season rehabbing and mulling over his player option for 2026–27.

Tantalising totals

(1) Porter finished with nine double-digit assist performances in just 38 total games. How many did the rest of the team have combined?

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Click to reveal answer Nine (Rollins 4, Giannis 2, Dieng 2, Sims 1).

(2) Porter led the Bucks with two triple-doubles on the season. Against which Eastern Conference teams did he achieve these?

Click to reveal answer Boston (18, 10, 13) and Orlando (18, 10, 11). Both wins.

(3) Porter hit 35/92 three-pointers (38%) in his first 19 games of the season. How many did he hit in his final 19 games?

Click to reveal answer 11/51 (22%).

Atypically advanced

(1) True or false: Despite being maligned for over-dribbling and shooting, Porter had a higher assist-to-usage ratio than Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Devin Booker, and Donovan Mitchell.

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Click to reveal answer True, 1.21 compared to Holiday’s 1.18, White’s 0.94, Booker’s 0.89, and Mitchell’s 0.80.

(2) True or false: Porter’s true shooting percentage this season (56.7%) was a career high?

Click to reveal answer True, besting his previous career-high of 56.5% in 2021-22.

Obscure optics

(1) Planning for this season, the Bucks put a lot of stock in last season’s Porter-Trent-Green-Giannis-Portis five-man lineup, which finished with a +56.0 net rating. Substituting Portis for Turner, this lineup was again highly successful, finishing with a +42.9 net rating. How many total minutes did they play together: 17, 55, 99, or 174?

Click to reveal answer 17 (technically, 16.42).

How did you fare? Share your score in the comments, and don’t forget to drop your thoughts along with it—which stat stands out?