3 Milwaukee Bucks players with the most to gain down the stretch

2. Bobby Portis

Bobby Portis was one of the players that Bucks fans felt should be moved at the trade deadline to make a significant move to improve the roster. He has repaid the faith shown in him by the front office and is back to being the player who has been a contender for Sixth Man of the Year every season since arriving in Wisconsin.

In the 17 games since Rivers arrived, Portis and Patrick Beverley have had a huge impact off the bench. They feed off of each other's energy, and that is beginning to rub off on the rest of the locker room. His minutes have only increased slightly, but he is hitting over 40 percent of his shots from three, adding an extra rebound, and his points have jumped up to 15.5.

In the first 46 games of the season, he scored 20 points on six occasions; since Rivers came in, he has scored 20 on four occasions. This impact off the bench has propelled the Bucks forward, and he looks to be back to his best. In the tough matchup with the Clippers and without Giannis Antetokounmpo, Portis stepped up to score 28 points and register 16 rebounds as he helped power the Bucks to victory.

We know that Portis will be a big part of the team, but after doubts early on, he now has the chance to really push for more minutes off the court as they have seen a noticeable dip from the last two seasons. With Jae Crowder struggling offensively and Khris Middleton expected to be slowly integrated back into the rotation, Portis can really step up and show why he deserves more minutes and should remain in Milwaukee moving forward.