I don’t think any Milwaukee Bucks fan could have expected the Bobby Portis signing almost a year ago to have gone as well as it has. Even putting aside the championship and the personal growth and development in Portis’ game, the simple fact that he has become a fan favorite and beloved among all Bucks fans is something that no one saw coming.
More from Bucks News
- Bucks 2023-24 player profile: Can MarJon Beauchamp take a leap?
- Piecing together the Milwaukee Bucks’ dream starting 5 in 5 years
- Predicting Thanasis Antetokounmpo’s 2023-24 stats for the Bucks
- Grade the trade: Bucks land reputable backup guard in swap with Pacers
- New workout video should have Milwaukee Bucks fans excited
After signing Portis in late November to a two-year deal worth $8 million, he almost immediately became a crucial reserve and found a role on the team as a floor spacing big man.
Because of his high energy, Portis quickly developed a relationship with Bucks fans, but due to COVID-19 restrictions, not many got to see Portis’ tenacious play live and in-person at the beginning of the new season.
The relationship grew stronger in the playoffs after Portis was benched in the Bucks’ second round series against the Brooklyn Nets. Many fans and media wondered why he was taken out of the rotation completely, but it was easy to see looking back on the series. The Nets would often hunt Portis on offense, and he’d yet to develop a trust with head coach Mike Budenholzer that he could be trusted on defense.
He got his chance to be back in the rotation against the Atlanta Hawks and he took full advantage, becoming a staple in the rotation for the Conference Finals and eventually the NBA Finals. It also spawned the birth of the “BOBBY! BOBBY!” chants.
In our initial grading of this signing, we had originally given the deal a B for a grade. There were initial concerns about his defense which were very valid and something that will come up again. However, I don’t want to spoil anything, but the regrade will certainly be higher. With that being said, here is the regrade on the Portis signing almost a year later.
The financial impact of the Bobby Portis signing almost a year later for the Milwaukee Bucks
In stark contrast to the Jrue Holiday trade, this is pretty simple from a financial perspective for the Bucks. Portis came in on a two-year contract worth $8 million total. It held a player option in the second season so that if Portis were to outplay the value on the contract, he could decline the player option and earn more the next offseason. His salary made him the 7th-highest paid Buck behind the trio upfront, Brook Lopez, P.J. Tucker, and Pat Connaughton.
Well, Portis obviously vastly outplayed that contract, declined his player option, and then signed a new contract with the Bucks again for two years, $9 million. He surely could have received more from another team but chose to sign a Non-Bird rights extension which was a 120 percent raise from his previous year’s salary.
Getting the kind of production that Portis gave the Bucks last season at that contract should be considered an absolute steal. He even received some third-place Sixth Man of the Year votes for how productive and valuable he was to the Bucks last season.
It’s rare a team gets the opportunity to sign and then retain a prime-age player for below market value twice, especially a team in a small market like Milwaukee. But those are the benefits you get when you win a championship, and the fans build a special connection with that player.
The on-court fit for the Bobby Portis signing almost a year later for the Milwaukee Bucks
Portis could not have fit in any better with the Bucks in his first season, and there’s reason to believe he’ll have a bigger role next season as well. Portis slotted in perfectly as the backup center to Lopez and provided a much different look than what the Bucks had in previous seasons.
Following backups such as Robin Lopez, Portis was a drastic change. He came with much more mobility, less rim protection, more shooting, as well as an overall more dynamic offensive player. Portis was a solid perimeter shooter prior to coming to Milwaukee, shooting a career 36 percent clip on 2.4 attempts per game, which included a 39.3 percent season on nearly four attempts in 2018-19. In Milwaukee, though, Portis took it to another level by connecting on 47.1. percent of his 2.4 attempts from three per game; per 36 minutes, that’s over four attempts per game.
He posted his highest true shooting percentage of his career at 59.8 percent, five percent better than his previous career-best. Most of that came from his blistering 3-point percentage, but he maintained the solid midrange efficiency that he’s had throughout his career.
Portis’ high 3-point percentage was the beneficiary of getting some incredibly open looks in the Bucks offense, playing off of stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo, he was able to get a lot of wide open looks. In fact, according to NBA.com/stats, he shot 56 percent on those wide open 3-point looks. His percentage on wide open 3-pointers was the second highest in the league last year behind the Nets’ Joe Harris (56.3 percent).
On the defensive end, we may have seen Portis’ best season yet. He set a career-high in essentially every advanced defensive metric and really took steps to become a better, more consistent and more versatile defender with the Bucks. He also set career highs in his defensive rebounding, steal, and block rates.
You shouldn’t confuse Portis for an elite rim protector or future All-Defensive team candidate, but he did a really good job to get significantly better. He knows that Budenholzer won’t play him in the playoffs if he doesn’t keep improving as a defender, so look for more steps forward from Portis this season.
It’s hard to view the Portis signing as anything but a win for the Bucks (and Portis) at this point. The team came away with a prime-age player that has signed twice for below market value and will be able to retain him again with Early Bird rights. The player got the chance to compete for (and win) a championship, develop further as a player, and rebuild his value and perception around the league.
Portis has been a great fit with the Bucks and especially so with the trio. In 146 regular season minutes with the Bucks’ core three players, those lineups posted a plus-16.9 net rating, and it even bumped up slightly in the playoffs. It’s vital that any role player the Bucks bring in can mesh with those three players, and Portis more than did that.
While it’s reasonable to expect some regression from his 3 point shooting numbers, specifically the wide-open 3-point shots, there’s also reason to believe Portis can improve as a defender. He has his limitations, but his strengths make him an invaluable member of the Bucks’ rotation.
The organization felt strongly enough about Portis that they’re once again willing to have him be the lone backup big man to Lopez and Antetokounmpo. That says a lot about the commitment Portis has put into improving on both ends and how much they believe in him as a player and his fit with the team’s main core.
BTBP (Updated) Final Grade: A
There will be more expected out of him now that he’s shown what he’s capable of in the biggest moments, but for right now, the Portis signing was a huge success for the champs.