Milwaukee Bucks: Why their 3 new veteran players matter

Bobby Portis could be a Sixth Man of the Year candidate

Every championship caliber teams needs a player who doesn’t start but can be counted on to provide critical production on a nightly basis. The great Chicago Bulls teams had Toni Kukoc, who was capable of hitting shots and making plays for other guys. Years later, Manu Ginobili played a similar role for the San Antonio Spurs’ championship runs. Coach Gregg Popovich was so convinced of the importance of having impact players in the second unit that he started players who clearly weren’t as good as Manu, knowing that the Argentinian Olympian was the ultimate team player.

This year, the Milwaukee Bucks are hoping the newly acquired Bobby Portis can play the all important Sixth Man role for the team. Last season, as a member of the New York Knicks, his productivity dipped as his 10.1 points per game and 5.1 rebounds per game were much lower than his 2019 numbers.

However, the Knicks’ confusing strategy of stockpiling forwards and not having nearly enough guard play was largely to blame. Not only were forwards forced to play lesser minutes than they would on a team with a normal distribution of position players, the lack of serviceable guard play had a domino affect on every other aspect of the game.

Going to a team that understands the importance of a solid back-court will do wonders for Portis’ game. In the 2019 season, in which he played for the Chicago Bulls and the Washington Wizards, he averaged 14.2 points per game and 8.1 rebounds per game. If he is able to replicate this level of productivity next season, he will be a valuable part of Coach Budenholzer’s rotation as well as a Sixth Man of the Year candidate.