Milwaukee Bucks: Getting to know forward Bobby Portis

Examining Bobby Portis’ playing style and fit with the Milwaukee Bucks

At first glance, Portis fills a need that had only grown more glaring as the Bucks’ offseason unfolded. After the departures of both Marvin Williams, Robin Lopez and Ersan Ilyasova, the Bucks had a void to fill in their frontcourt and specifically behind superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Portis now comes in as the Bucks’ backup 4 behind Antetokounmpo and ahead of fourth-year forward D.J. Wilson on the team’s depth chart. But considering the Bucks don’t have a true backup center behind the incumbent Brook Lopez, Portis will very likely have chances to play as a small ball 5.

At 6’10” and a reported 250 lbs., Portis has the size and heft needed to play center duties and withstand the physicality of traditional big men around the league. Per Basketball-Reference, Portis played 57 percent of his 1,393 total minutes last season as a 5 with the Knicks.

There’s no question that Portis brings a level of floor spacing and an offensive punch that will be necessarily to hold up on the Bucks’ offensive production when their second unit is on the floor and they are staggering their starters. Bucks haven’t really had a frontcourt scorer that can get them buckets in those situations since the three month run of Nikola Mirotic?

Being a career 36 percent 3-point shooter and having shot 35.6 percent on catch-and-shoot threes last season points to Portis’ ability to fill it up. But whether he can do so in a way that doesn’t monopolize the Bucks’ offense is a big question going into his Bucks stint.

But no question looms larger than how Portis will be able to hold up defensively. It certainly hasn’t helped that playing for bad teams like Portis has done for much of his career to this point creates a perception over his defensive abilities and accumulating bad habits.

Portis has proven to be a productive rebounder, especially on the defensive end as evidenced by his career 22.5 defensive rebounding percentage. Whether Portis’ hustle and motor can hold up as a small ball center is as crucial to his defensive standing, as will his ability to protect the rim.

The whiplash effect of going from a loser like the Knicks to a winner like the Bucks will lead to Portis undergoing a crash course to find his place in the rotation in a short amount of time. But the Bucks are obviously relying on Portis filling a role that most optimizes his tools, production and abilities.

How it all shakes out remains to be seen, but it’s safe to assume we’ll see a lot of Portis over the course of the 2020-21 season. And the Bucks will be banking on him being able to offer up a valuable role over time as they vie for an NBA title.