Bobby Portis better start looking over his shoulder because Ryan Rollins just might be coming for his sixth man crown. The preseason rotation tells a story Doc Rivers hasn't said out loud yet.
Rollins logged more minutes than Portis throughout the preseason, and that's not an accident. Rivers is testing something here, and it's whether Milwaukee's future can be built around athletic versatility instead of beloved tradition.
The fit makes too much sense. Rollins brings everything this retooled Milwaukee Bucks roster needs from pesky defense, pace-pushing, and the kind of two-way impact that complements Giannis rather than works against him.
Bobby Portis may soon lose his Sixth Man role if trends keep up
Portis is an excellent player, but his profile is a throwback. He's a midrange artist and a post bully, skills that often stall the flow of an offense built around Giannis Antetokounmpo and the spacing he needs. While his rebounding and energy are invaluable, his defensive lapses, especially against modern pick-and-roll schemes, can be exploited.
Nobody's questioning whether Portis has the heart and the shooting touch, but his slow-footed post game will always clash with the fast, athletic, versatile roster Milwaukee is trying to build.
Watch Rollins in transition, and you see what Rivers is thinking. The kid can guard multiple positions, push tempo after defensive rebounds, and doesn't kill possessions with contested mid-range shots. That's modern bench basketball, while Portis' game is a throwback that doesn't quite work anymore.
The Milwaukee crowd may not be the most supportive if it happens. Portis owns Fiserv Forum in ways that can't be quantified, and has been the face of the Bucks bench for practically this entire era. But championships aren't won on sentiment alone.
To be frank, Rollins still has plenty to prove at this juncture in his career. His shooting remains inconsistent, and his decision-making could still use some work. But the physical tools and basketball IQ are there. If he can put together a string of solid performances once the real games start, those sixth-man minutes could shift permanently.
Of course, none of this is about disrespecting what Bobby means to Milwaukee. It's about acknowledging that basketball evolution doesn't care about sentiment. The Bucks need their bench unit to match the identity of their starting five, and Rollins does that better than Portis can at this stage.
Portis will still get his minutes (he's too good not to, after all), but if Rollins keeps playing like he did in the preseason, he might be the one closing games while Portis watches from the bench.
The changing of the guard happens gradually, then all at once. Milwaukee might be watching it happen right now.