Extension-eligible Bobby Portis isn't doing himself (or the Bucks) any favors

If you’re a Milwaukee Bucks fan, you’ve got love for Bobby Portis; it’s that simple.

His is a name that Bucks fans have grown to genuinely appreciate over the years. Portis, with his infectious energy and ferocity on the court, has become a fan favorite in Milwaukee since he joined the team in 2020. His pivotal role in the 2021 championship run cemented him as a Bucks legend, a guy who brought heart, hustle and a welcome bit of chaos to the team’s second unit.

Portis has a player option for the 2025-26 season, but there’s been talk about a potential extension materializing before then. His current contract infrastructure has him earning around $12.5 million this season, which was seen as pretty team-friendly at the time, given his impact in past seasons.

Given his previous contributions—most notably during the Bucks' championship run in 2021—there was optimism surrounding his potential extension. Yet, early in the 2024-25 regular season, with the potential of a fresh contract extension looming on the horizon, Portis might just be playing himself out of a raise.

After impressive preseason showings suggesting he was ready to prove his doubters wrong, Portis just hasn’t quite looked like his old self so far this season. And that’s more than a minor inconvenience for Milwaukee, a team that needs his reliable production off the bench if they hope to seriously contend.

Bobby Portis' play so far doesn't inspire confidence in an extension

Let’s not sugarcoat it: Bobby Portis has never been known for his defensive prowess, and evaluations of his game always spoke of his three-level scoring as something that compensates for the buckets he so often gives up. At the same time, though, Milwaukee has typically worked around that with clever rotations and slotting him into favorable matchups.

The start of this season has laid bare some troubling signs that they can no longer do that. More than ever before, opponents are scoring in bulk when he’s on the court. He’s also struggling in his closeouts and pick-and-roll defense—areas where he’s often been a bit slower, but where the lapses have looked even more glaring this season.

Averaging 11 points and 7.7 rebounds while shooting 47.6 percent from the field, the numbers might make it appear that all is fine with Portis early into the young season. His 3-point shooting has particularly suffered, with only 25 percent accuracy from beyond the arc so far this season.

Portis has so far registered the second-worst defensive rating (122.3) and second-worst net rating (-15.2) on the Bucks. Cleaning the Glass also finds that Milwaukee's offensive rating shrinks (-7.5 points scored per 100) while their defensive rating worsens (+11.9 points given up) in the minutes that Portis plays.

The eye test says that Portis is just not locked in on that end. There are plenty of examples of Portis completely falling asleep on defense and losing his man for no immediately identifiable reason. Against bigger opponents, he’s been getting out-rebounded at an alarming rate, and smaller, quicker players are blowing by him with relative ease. This decline is concerning, especially for a player who was once regarded as a perennial Sixth Man of the Year candidate around the association.

Part of it might have to do with scheme and role. For someone with the 11th-ranked offensive rating on the Bucks, his usage rate ranks just after Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo. As fans have seen, a good chunk of Bucks possessions default to going to Portis in the post to take contested midrange jumpers, despite the litany of options the Bucks have up and down the roster. And as many know well by now, if the ball reaches Bobby's hands, it's a safe bet that a shot is going up.

Milwaukee has already seen how costly weak perimeter defense can be against Eastern Conference contenders like Boston and Philadelphia, both of whom the Bucks need to be wary of if they’re serious about another title run. With this kind of performance, the Milwaukee Bucks may have to consider options at the backup four or five positions if Bobby Portis doesn’t tighten up.

The 'Mayor of Milwaukee' may be on his way out if this keeps up

Portis’ potential extension is a delicate issue for the Bucks, who already have a heavy payroll. Milwaukee needs to be cautious about allocating funds to a player who has seen his production dip without any sign of improvement. If Portis doesn’t pick up his play, he might just be losing out on a new deal with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Bobby Portis has had the city of Milwaukee in his corner for years, and there’s still plenty of time to turn things around this season. But he’s got to show he’s worth keeping around, especially on a team with championship aspirations. Fans love Bobby because of his heart, his hustle and his no-nonsense approach to the game - but going forward, these need to start translating to unselfish, winning basketball on both ends of the floor.

In the NBA, loyalty only goes so far, and if he can’t get back to his usual production, it might be time for both sides to consider a fresh start.

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