Milwaukee Bucks: Who will be the most important reserve next season?

And the most important player off the bench for the Milwaukee Bucks is…

Due to a combination of both skill and role, Portis is the most important player off the bench for the Bucks this season. As mentioned, his spacing as a big and ability to guard on the perimeter is invaluable, especially after the loss of P.J. Tucker.

This isn’t to say that the other three (or even Hood and Ojeleye) won’t be vital to the Bucks’ success this season, but there are some overlapping skills with Connaughton and Allen that could make the potential loss of one easier to swallow.

As for Hill, well we just saw the Bucks win a championship without a good backup point guard! Of course, what he brings to the table will be valuable, but there are other players on the roster that can fill in as a secondary ball handler if needed (as we found out).

Portis is the only NBA-ready backup center/big on the roster and his role behind Brook Lopez and playing alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo is something that can’t be done by anyone else at the same level as Portis.

There is no question, though, that this version of the Bucks’ bench will be deeper and more versatile than the one that helped win a championship last season. That can only make defending their title easier as we get closer and closer to the beginning of the 2021-22 NBA season.