Grading Bobby Portis’ four-year deal with the Milwaukee Bucks

This signing is almost universally loved by Bucks fans.

After having instability behind Brook Lopez in the years prior, Milwaukee finally found a perfect backup big in Portis. Even though he bafflingly received three consecutive DNPs from Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer against the Nets in the 2021 playoffs, Portis still managed to become an enormous piece of Milwaukee’s championship puzzle that season. After Giannis Antetokounmpo went down with a gruesome knee injury in the Eastern Conference Finals against Atlanta, Portis started the final two games of the series.

In his two starts, Portis gave the Bucks what they needed out of him in that role. Game 5 in particular will be the one that is memorable for Portis. That was the game when the chants of his name around the arena began. Portis came up huge for the team by scoring 22 points and adding 8 rebounds in over 35 minutes of action. Fans began showing their appreciation of his energy by chanting “BOBBY! BOBBY! BOBBY!” and have not stopped doing so since.

Portis’ versatility to play the 4 or the 5 has been huge for the Bucks over the last two seasons. His willingness to be flexible with his role as a starter or a bench player has been just as big. Portis has been the ultimate team player during his time in Milwaukee and has been happy to do whatever Budenholzer asks of him. No matter what role he’s in, he always shines in it. It’s great to have Portis back in Milwaukee. Four more years.

BTBP Grade: A+

Stay tuned to see what other tricks the Bucks have up their sleeve during the 2022 NBA offseason.