Jericho Sims is leaving Bucks with pressing roster question marks

Since re-entering the rotation in February, Jericho Sims has balled out for the Milwaukee Bucks. No, the numbers don't jump off the page, but he's been incredibly efficient and a force on both ends of the floor. Despite making only seven starts in that span, Sims has clearly won Doc Rivers' trust, beating out Myles Turner and Bobby Portis for minutes. 

Whether or not Rivers is the head coach next season (hopefully, we know the answer to that one), Sims deserves a meaningful role. If he declines his player option, which his play has given him the prerogative to do, the Bucks will be forced to decide who stays and who goes from among their current group of bigs. 

Sims has become Bucks' unexpected anchor in the frontcourt

His contract, a two-year deal worth $5.3 million, reflects the player he was expected to be. Far more than just a backend rotation piece, Sims has emerged as a go-to option. Most likely, he will decline his option for 2026-27 and become an unrestricted free agent. 

The Bucks have every reason to bring him back. Sims is averaging 24.5 minutes over his last 20 games, contributing 6.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and two assists per contest. Doing his work around the basket (but sprinkling in surprise moves off the bounce), he is shooting 82.4 percent from the floor and providing rim protection on the other end. 

A salve to one of Milwaukee's most glaring weak spots, Sims is also grabbing 2.5 offensive rebounds per game. 

If he returns next year, it should not be as the 12th or 13th man on the roster. At minimum, he's shown he can be a crucial member of a nine-deep rotation. 

Sims' emergence could force out a veteran teammate via trade

That should remain the case even if the Bucks reshuffle the current group, which they may need to do in order to grant opportunities to young players who have earned them. Elsewhere in the frontcourt, Pete Nance looks like a keeper. So does Ousmane Dieng. Both will be restricted free agents this summer.

In all likelihood, retaining the above duo plus Sims would almost surely mean parting ways with one or more of Portis, Turner, and Kyle Kuzma. It should be a question of who goes, not whether anyone does. 

So who is it? Sims defends better than Portis; that much is clear. He is also younger and, even granted a pay raise, will be cheaper than any of those veterans. Sims is limited on offense, obviously, though he has flashed playmaking chops no one knew he had. He has recorded between two and five assists 13 times in that 20-game sample. 

The Milwaukee Bucks will have some figuring to do in the frontcourt this offseason, but retaining Sims suddenly seems like a priority.