Milwaukee Bucks fans hoped to see the team in full form after the All Star break, with Giannis Antetokounmpo returning from injury to share the court with Damian Lillard and Kyle Kuzma, but the Bobby Portis suspension has put those hopes on hold. Banned 25 games for an accidental drug violation, Portis will sit for most of the rest of the season.
Limited to two-big lineups, the Bucks missed his size dearly during his six-game absence earlier this season due to his grandmother’s passing. At 30-24 after last night’s win, they sit 30-24 at 5th place in the East, but only 1.5 games up on the Pistons in 6th. 7th-place Orlando is 3.5 back.
Given their roster restrictions and position in the standings, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst believes it will be a precarious road ahead for Milwaukee.
Bobby Portis Suspension Is a Major Depth Problem for Milwaukee Bucks
In 46 games, Portis has averaged 13.7 PPG and 8.3 RPG while providing critical size and bench scoring. Host of The Hoop Collective podcast with co-members Tim McMahon and Tim Bontemps, Windhorst noted that, before the Kuzma trade, Portis was the team’s third-leading scorer. “One of the best sixth men in the league,” McMahon added.
Averaging over 15 PPG this season, Kuzma is also a good rebounder, averaging 8.2 boards in five games in Milwaukee. Starting at small forward at 6’9, 220 lbs, however, he is not a serviceable backup center. Putting Kuzma at the four when Giannis Antetokounmpo or Brook Lopez is off the floor makes sense, but that is the extent of his versatility.
“He’s not a starter but he’s an incredibly important player for the Bucks,” Windhorst said of Portis. “Brook Lopez, his role is just smaller. They need him.”
Even with Portis, observed Bontemps, “They don’t have a lot of depth as it is.”
36 years old and in his 17th season, Lopez, who has never been the fleetest afoot, is noticeably slower this season. Never a standout rebounder, he is grabbing only 4.8 per game. During absences from Portis and Antetokounmpo, he has been tasked with an unfair workload for a player his age.
Especially as Giannis, who played just 24 minutes Thursday on a minutes restriction, ramps back from a calf strain, relying on him and Lopez to man the five-spot by themselves is not a viable option.
To help handle the load, fans can expect to see plenty of Jericho Sims, acquired from the Knicks before the deadline. Averaging 1.6 PTS and 3.6 REB this year, he made his first appearance as a Buck yesterday against the Clippers. In 17 minutes, he scored 0 points and recorded 2 rebounds.
Lack of Cushion Puts Bucks at Risk of Unfavorable Postseason Slate
While it would ludicrous to suggest that Portis’ suspension has tanked the season, it is hard to blame fans for being nervous. “I’m not saying that losing Bobby is going to cause them to plummet,” Windhorst continued, “but it just shrinks their margin for error, which is already not that big.”
Starting the season 2-8 deflated what cushion the Bucks could hope for, as did their recent 2-6 stretch before they bounced back to enter the break. Their 116-110 win over the Clippers was their third in four tries.
Injuries, too, have contributed to Milwaukee’s up-and-down performance. Thus far Giannis and Dame have combined to miss 21 games, and while that isn’t a terrible number, the team’s top-heavy construction means they can ill withstand missing either star–especially now, with Portis gone. Lillard has already been ruled out Friday versus Washington due to hamstring injury management.
“Giannis tweaks his calf and misses six or seven games, it’s hard to overcome, and then this happens. It’s not the kind of news the Bucks needed,” the podcast host concluded. Certainly not.
The Bucks battle one of the toughest remaining schedules. The good news is that, for the moment, they are not courting the play-in bracket. “I don’t think they’re in danger of falling all the way out of the top six in the East,” Bontemps said.
For a deep playoff run, however, seeding matters, and if the Bucks sink to the sixth they will likely play the Knicks and, upon advancing, the Celtics in the first two rounds. Compared to a first round matchup with Indiana as the 5-seed, followed by Cleveland in the conference semifinals, that is “definitely a harder path.”
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