Analyzing how Bobby Portis has turned his season around for the Milwaukee Bucks
By Aitor Darias
Bobby Portis has probably been the Milwaukee Bucks player with the biggest swing this season.
After a slow start, he was heavily criticized by fans to the point that many of them asked for him to be traded. Yet, he ended up remaining part of the team beyond the trade deadline. Some weeks after the trade deadline passed, we could say that was for the best.
Portis has improved his game over this last month and has been key to some of the latest Bucks' victories. He has regained his spot as one of the most beloved players on the roster due to his energy, his charisma and, of course, good performances, which seem to be back after some poor stretches that he's finally leaving behind.
Analyzing how Bobby Portis has turned his season around for the Milwaukee Bucks
If we split his season at the All-Star break, his numbers tell the whole story by themselves. He was averaging 12.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game until that point but has risen his production to 16.4 points and 8.5 rebounds since returning to action. Some of his best performances of the year have come in March, with the games against the LA Clippers and the Phoenix Suns standing out.
Some could argue Giannis Antetokounmpo missing some time makes these stats a bit noisy, and there's some truth to that.
Antetokounmpo has missed three games this month, and Portis has played a bigger role, boosting his numbers a bit more than they would otherwise be. However, despite all that, his efficiency has also improved, his shooting percentages have also improved and, just by looking at him, you can just tell something has changed.
But what is it? Has he changed his playstyle, or is he just taking the same shots but making them? Let's break down his game to figure out how he has made such a leap mid-season and how he's back to being one of the most important players on the team.