Milwaukee Bucks: What to expect from their 4 free agent pickups

Milwaukee Bucks have their enforcer in PF/C Bobby Portis.

By signing with the Milwaukee Bucks, big man Bobby Portis finally enters a basketball situation where he can flourish. Portis has spent five NBA seasons playing for pitiful teams with the Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards and New York Knicks. His competitive fire was sedated by a lack of ample opportunity to play for something other than empty stats.

Portis’ best season was in 2018-19 when he averaged 14.2 points and 8.1 rebounds per game — Each of which was a career-best mark. A physical interior presence with a reliable jumper, Portis is likely to see a more defined role in Milwaukee. Like Brook Lopez before him, the Bucks will probably relegate Portis to a spot-up shooting role as a floor spacer on offense.

In a system like the one Milwaukee deploys, Portis is going to see the highest-quality shots of his life. The career-36 percent deep shooter has always displayed proficiency in that range but hasn’t attempted more than four per game in his career thus far. While Portis is going to have plenty of chances in the paint from the pick-and-roll or on second-chance opportunities, he’ll be yet another beneficiary of Giannis’ tremendous gravity.

There’s reason to believe the Bucks have been a bit soft in recent years. Adding Portis provides a true enforcer to bring some muscle and ferocity to the rotation. When the going gets tough, Portis will be there to show the rest of the league that Milwaukee isn’t to be messed with.