Ranking every Bucks player based on how they performed in 2023-24 season
By Aitor Darias
5. Bobby Portis
Portis has been the most polarizing player on the Milwaukee Bucks, and it's not even close. Some fans wanted him gone since the begining of the season, while others thought of him as one of the most important players of the team. The reality, as always, was somewhere in the middle ground.
Portis didn't have a great start to the season, but he was slowly turning it around when Rivers took the coaching job and had some really good stretches since. He was able to shine as a scorer both off the bench and as a starter when Giannis Antetokounmpo was out, being key to some of the most impressive Bucks' wins of the year.
So, even if a big part of the fanbase is pretty disappointed about his playoff performance, it's nothing but fair to recognize the way he grew in the second half of the regular season.
He faced two big problems, though.
First, his lack of defense capabilities has never been as flagrant as this year. He's a big who brings basically no rim protection, and he's had some help through the years, so he could hide his flaws, but that wasn't the case this time. He's been exposed more often, and the team hasn't had the tools to cover for it, so more fans have been pointing to him as the one to blame.
Second, he was asked to play a role he just wasn't ready for. With Giannis out for the series against the Pacers, and even with Damian Lillard missing some games, he had to play as the third or even second scorer on the team, something he can do on certain occasions but not on a daily basis. It got frustrating at times watching him have inconsistent nights in the biggest games of the season, but it would be unfair to criticize him, as it was his job to take that spot.
I don't want this to look like I'm a big Bobby Portis guy; I'm not, but there are some things that must be said about his defense now that some fans are acting like he's just flat-out a bad player. He underperformed sometimes, but that's why role players aren't stars. Basically, every player in the NBA can have a great night, but it's the consistency that makes someone a real star. And Portis didn't have it, but let's not pretend he's supposed to.