3 Roster moves that are paying for the Milwaukee Bucks this season

3 Roster moves that are paying for the Milwaukee Bucks: Re-signing Bobby Portis

Re-signing a fan favorite will always be a popular move.

Heading into the 2022 off-season, there was a little concern that Milwaukee wouldn’t be able to retain Bobby Portis due to players like him generally finding more lucrative deals elsewhere.

Those concerns were quickly squashed as Portis re-signed with Milwaukee on a four-year $49 million deal. This was one of the best moves of the offseason, as losing a guy like Portis would have hurt the Bucks as he brings interior toughness, rebounding, and a consistent 3-point shooter.

Portis’ scoring and 3-point shooting numbers have dipped slightly this year most of it due to him missing almost two months with an MCL injury, but based on his 18-point on 8-of-11 shooting on Sunday against the 76ers, his shooting is slowly rounding back into form.

But what makes Portis key to this Bucks team is his rebounding. Averaging 9.6 rebounds per game, Portis is a ferocious rebounder and is a catalyst for Milwaukee being third in the league in defensive rebounding percentage at 77.7, per Statmuse.

It’s a good story that Portis is on the Bucks because he started his career playing on bad teams (Bulls, Wizards, and Knicks.) Portis, with his grit-and-grind playing style, is a perfect backdrop for the city of Milwaukee.