Milwaukee Bucks lose Bobby Portis to health and safety protocols

Things keep getting worse for the Milwaukee Bucks and the NBA in regards to their COVID situation. After having three players enter health & safety protocols already earlier this week, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that Bobby Portis has also been placed into the protocols.

Portis joined Giannis Antetokounmpo, Donte DiVincenzo, and Wesley Matthews as the other Bucks in the protocols. He is the fifth Bucks player to have been placed in the protocols this season as Khris Middleton tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this season.

Reactions to Bobby Portis being placed in health and safety protocols for the Milwaukee Bucks

As if the Bucks weren’t already shorthanded enough as it was after only having 10 active players for their game against the Indiana Pacers, losing Portis makes things even tougher going forward — especially in the frontcourt.

Head coach Mike Budenholzer stated prior to the Pacers game that they expected DeMarcus Cousins to only miss one game for personal reasons, so if he does return that would leave him and Sandro Mamukelashvili as the Bucks’ remaining big men available for their next few games.

Thanasis Antetokounmpo is listed as doubtful and Middleton is listed as probable, so the Bucks could have 10 active players again if Middleton returns but it remains to be seen if they will want to push it.

Assuming Middleton plays, the Bucks will have five of their assumed nine-man playoff rotation healthy for these next few games.

Sticking with the frontcourt, there’s never a good time to be thin up front but these next two games are even less than ideal. They have a back-to-back scheduled against the New Orleans Pelicans (Jonas Valanciunas) and the Cleveland Cavaliers (Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley, Lauri Markkanen). They were already thin in the frontcourt coming into the season and this is basically the worst case scenario.

A back to back is hard enough as it is, but a back to back, with a thin frontcourt, against two teams with size? Things will not be easy the next couple of games.

We’ll likely see Cousins get some starting minutes, Pat Connaughton playing a ton of small-ball four, and even Jordan Nwora seeing some minutes at the four with added importance on his ability to protect the rim in a pinch (and the Bucks are certainly in a pinch now).

This also underscores the importance of their win against the Pacers in needing to bank wins while being undermanned over the next week or so. It remains to be seen how many players will be available for the Bucks’ Christmas Day game against the Boston Celtics.

A fun little silver lining is that we’ll get to see the Bucks’ young players get some extended run with Mamukelashvili, Nwora, and Javonte Smart all needed. It will be all hands on deck over the next five or six games at least and that’s not assuming there will be more players added into the protocols coming up.

All the best to Portis and all of the other Bucks in health and safety protocols.