Bucks big man Bobby Portis is too good to ignore, but also just maybe too specific to fully fit.
On paper, the Milwaukee Bucks have spent the offseason building a roster around speed, defense, and versatility. Guys like Kevin Porter Jr., Cole Anthony, and even Jericho Sims fit the direction: quick-footed, switchable, and capable of playing at the faster pace Doc Rivers wants. “We’re going to play at our pace, but we’re going to do things quicker,” Rivers said.
So it's been clearer than ever that the new Bucks are trying to modernize and get younger, leaner, and more defensively accountable around Giannis Antetokounmpo. And through four preseason games, it's looking like the team is mostly on board with that vision.
And then there’s Bobby Portis.
Bobby Portis simply doesn't give you what the rest of the roster does
Portis remains one of Milwaukee’s most productive players, a walking double-double who averaged 13.9 points and 8.4 rebounds last season while shooting almost 37 percent from distance. He’s their emotional engine, the bench leader, and the rare player who can randomly drop 20 on any given night.
But stylistically, he’s just a weird fit in what the Milwaukee Bucks are trying to be at this point in time.
Portis plays at his own rhythm as a methodical midrange-heavy scorer who thrives on isolations, post-ups, and face-ups against smaller or less nimble defenders. That’s fine when he anchors second units, but in lineups that prioritize pace and defensive switching, he’s the odd man out. He’s not a rim protector, not a great pick-and-roll defender, and not quick enough to guard wings in space.
So that’s the Bobby Portis-sized elephant in the room: he might be Milwaukee’s third or fourth-best player, but he doesn’t cleanly fit their identity anymore. And the challenge now is finding ways to reconcile the conflicting philosophies while putting both Portis and his teammates in positions to succeed.
Now it's not the worst thing in the world for someone whose value has always gone beyond the box score. Portis has long been the beating heart and spiritual leader of Milwaukee’s locker room — the “Mayor of Milwaukee” since the 2021 title run. His fire, toughness, and connection with fans have made him untouchable in ways analytics can’t quantify.
Even when he’s not a schematic fit, he’s a cultural one. You don’t just move on from that lightly, especially for someone who went out of his way to stay in town.
So the question isn’t whether Portis should play; it’s how. Can Doc Rivers find the right balance between letting him cook in his comfort zones and still maintaining the team’s new defensive and pace-oriented identity? Maybe that means limiting his minutes to pure bench-heavy lineups. Maybe it’s pairing him with mobile bigs like Myles Turner or defensive wings who can mask his weaknesses.
Because the Bucks don’t just need Bobby Portis to be himself. They need him to be himself within a team identity that might be changing much faster than he can keep up with.
At the same time, though, if Giannis has to find new ways to keep his team afloat, so does Portis.
We've said it before, and we'll say it again: the Bucks' title hopes all depend on whether or not they can still evolve going forward. That applies to both Portis and the coaching staff drawing up plays for him.
Milwaukee’s floor might rise with better defenders and shooters, but their ceiling? It’s still tied to whether they can make all these pieces, especially Portis, make sense together.