Bobby Portis is far from the biggest superstar on the Milwaukee Bucks. However, there’s no denying that he plays an integral role on the team both on and off the court. The 28-year-old veteran is also one of the leaders on this squad, and this is a quality he has brought with him in his current stint with Team USA.
According to Portis, he credits Giannis Antetokounmpo and his other Bucks teammates for helping him develop into the leader he is today.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks Let Bobby Portis ‘Have a Voice’
Speaking in a recent interview with Sam Yip of HoopsHype, Portis described how his relationships with his Bucks teammates have allowed him to become a talisman on the squad. According to Portis, this is the same fire he brings to the national squad:
“Man, I just come in every day and be Bobby Portis,” he said. “That’s all I know how to be, since day one, in my time in the league, man. I’ve never changed who I am, stay true to myself, work on my game each and every year and get better. And try to be a leader working on my leadership qualities over the last three, four years in the league, especially when I got to the Bucks being around great savvy vets like Giannis [Antetokounmpo], Brook Lopez, Jrue [Holiday], Khris [Middleton], all my guys. The core group of guys, those guys, let me kind of be myself. Let me have a voice. And it’s been cool, man. So, my role on this team is to be Bobby, man. It’s all I know how to be.”
Bobby Portis Speaks Out on Team USA Chemistry
Unlike the Bucks’ tight-knit core that has been together for several years now, the current iteration of Team USA has not had a chance to play with each other for very long. In fact, they only came together this summer, which is why it comes as no surprise that there are still some things that this group has to work on in terms of their chemistry:
“Obviously, chemistry and camaraderie take time,” Portis said. “Things aren’t just gonna happen overnight. Kind of need the ups and downs, the highs and lows, that kind of give you that taste of failure a little bit, and at the same time, it’s always good just to compete. At the same time, you got to get a day at a time. We have a long haul here coming up, but we got to figure it out as fast as we can.”
The national squad still has a bit of time to remedy whatever issues they currently have. However, with the FIBA World Cup set to tip off in a little over a week’s time, Team USA will need to get their act together quickly if they hope to bring home that gold medal.
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