In the world of aviation, young pilots are often taught that the first step to getting out of rough winds is to recognize that ultimately, you’re the one flying the plane. Your fate is in your hands and nobody else's, and nobody is coming to save you. It’s a powerful and profound reminder that denial is the enemy of progress, and finding solutions often necessitates taking accountability before anything else.
The Milwaukee Bucks, it seems, are currently flying their plane with the cockpit blinds drawn. Bobby Portis’ 25-game suspension for testing positive for the painkiller Tramadol has all but thrown a wrench into the team’s frontcourt rotations. It's not so much exposing, but more so worsening a problem that’s been simmering all season: this team is desperately in need of a spark.
At this point, let’s not mince words: the Bucks are one of the oldest and slowest teams in the NBA, and the eye test proves it. And while that's not the worst thing in the world considering where they stand in the East currently, what has been frustrating about their season thus far is the consistent pattern of rejecting easy answers even when they're there on the part of the coaching staff.
And while a young, athletic solution has landed in their lap in the form of Jericho Sims, the coaching staff's outright refusal to play him at least a bit heavier minutes over lumbering veteran Brook Lopez is starting to feel less like a calculated decision and more like willful ignorance. Like we said: Doc Rivers has made the front office look like fools for trying.
Bobby Portis' suspension has only led to more Brook Lopez minutes
Brook Lopez, their 36-year-old defensive anchor, is still a dominant rim protector and drop coverage savant, but his lack of mobility has become a glaring issue. When he's pulled out into the perimeter, Lopez often looks like he’s running in quicksand, struggling to keep up in transition or switch onto quicker players.
Let's be clear: this doesn't make Lopez a bad defender. It only makes the Bucks easier to scheme against, as long as you have the right personnel for it. All too often, teams resort to mismatch hunting and spacing the lumbering big out to beyond the 3-point line. And the results speak for themselves: the Bucks are routinely run out of the gym by teams with younger and more versatile big men.
This isn’t just a Lopez problem; it’s a team-wide issue. Giannis can only do so much to cover for his teammates’ deficiencies, and the absence of Portis, who provided a shot of energy off the bench, has only made things worse. The result is a team that looks a step slow against elite competition, which is obviously a problem that could prove fatal in the playoffs when you look at the teams ahead of Milwaukee in the standings.
Sims is everything the Bucks’ frontcourt is not: young, athletic, and versatile. Standing 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot-3 wingspan and elite leaping ability, Sims is a lob threat on offense, a relentless rebounder and a capable switch defender who can guard multiple positions. In both theory and practice, he’s simply been the perfect complement to Lopez, providing the energy and athleticism the Milwaukee Bucks desperately need.
And still, Doc Rivers has been reluctant to give Sims meaningful minutes, preferring to rely heavier on Lopez. Despite the Bucks’ obvious need for a spark, Sims has been relegated to spot bench minutes, often sitting for long stretches while Lopez labors through extended runs. It’s absolutely a head-scratching decision, especially when you consider what the numbers and the eye test say.
According to PBP Stats, the Bucks outscore opponents by +6.3 points per 100 possessions in Sims’ limited minutes, compared to a +1.7 net rating with Lopez on the floor. While the sample size is small, the numbers suggest that Sims could be a difference-maker if given the opportunity.
It's not the situation, it's the principle for the Bucks' frontcourt
Nobody's saying Jericho Sims is the prince that was promised to lead Milwaukee's frontcourt rotation back to the defensive greatness of the Budenholzer years.
The thing is, this problem should not even be unsolvable to begin with. You have the likes of Tyler Smith and Chris Livingston just waiting for a chance on the bench. Those chances never came for them before Sims arrived in town, and it's clear Sims might be put in the same doghouse come playoff time.
But the Bucks’ outright refusal to trust Sims more than they do feels like a microcosm of a larger issue: a team in denial about its limitations. This is a roster built around Giannis Antetokounmpo, a generational talent who can single-handedly carry a team to victory. But even Giannis has his limits, and the Milwaukee Bucks’ lack of athleticism and versatility is starting to weigh him down.
The solution is staring them in the face, just like it was even before Sims arrived in town. Sims may be raw, but his athleticism and energy are exactly what the Bucks need to offset their age and slowness. By refusing to play him, the Milwaukee Bucks are essentially flying their plane with the cockpit blinds drawn, ignoring the warning signs and hoping for the best.
Bobby Portis’ suspension has amplified the Bucks’ already unsolvable problem: their lack of athleticism and versatility in the frontcourt. Lopez is still a dominant rim protector, but his declining mobility is becoming a liability, and Doc Rivers’ reluctance to try other options is only making things worse. If the Milwaukee Bucks want to remain in championship contention, they need to face the problem head-on.
The preponderance of evidence points to this irrefutable fact: against younger, faster teams, Milwaukee does little to give themselves a fighting chance. If this trend keeps up, it's hard to expect a better playoff result than last year's first-round exit.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.