Not all of the Milwaukee Bucks’ free agent moves have worked out. Myles Turner is underperforming. Gary Trent Jr. has been awful. Cole Anthony has disappointed.
But there are plenty of bright spots despite the overall doom and gloom hovering over the team amid Giannis Antetokounmpo trade drama. Ryan Rollins and Kevin Porter Jr., both re-signed last offseason, are leading the charge. Along with them, four other Bucks signees make up the top six list of free agent additions. (Bottom six here.)
Rankings, listed in reverse order, are based on a combination of expectations and actual contributions.
In what looks like an underwhelming free agency cycle, 2 names stand out in bold
6. Mark Sears, undrafted free agent signed to two-way deal – Okay, so Sears isn’t a typical free agent signing, and he hasn’t done a lot for the team, but he’s on the list for a reason. A natural shot creator, he has flashed potential in limited minutes. If the Bucks don’t have a better answer, Sears could realistically be their Cole Anthony replacement next season. Given his low expectations as a two-way player, that’s a decent return.
5. Jericho Sims, re-signed for two years, $5.3 million – Similarly, not many fans expected a lot from Sims, though he is at least an NBA player with several years of experience. He’s been about what the Bucks bargained for, if not a bit better; Doc Rivers likes him for his rim-rolling abilities and athletic energy. His career-high 15 points and 14 boards in a win over Detroit – also his first double-double as a Buck – have been the highlight of his season thus far.
4. Bobby Portis, re-signed for three years, $44 million – It’s been an inconsistent year for BP. After a rough start, though, things are looking up. Thursday against the Celtics, he supplied a season-high 27 points on 11-13 from the field and 5-6 from three. The rebounds are down, which is a problem, but he’s shooting lights-out from beyond the arc (47%) and generally providing solid offense on a decent contract (both value-wise and as a potential trade asset).
3. Gary Harris, signed for two years, $7.5 million – This is about as unexciting an entry as Bucks fans could probably imagine. Truth is, there aren’t many Milwaukee free agents who have overachieved versus expectations. In part because of just how low Harris’ bar was set, that is the case for the 12-year veteran out of Michigan State. Never mind his box score stats – seriously, don’t check, they’re not worth looking at – he’s actually given the team serviceable minutes as a wing defender. He played 33 minutes last game against the Celtics, grading out as a +26 in the box score.
That’s more than can be said about Gary Trent Jr., who is off to an atrocious start on that end of the floor. AJ Green grades out well in on/off rating but the eye test often shows larger wings picking on him simply due to size. For whatever reason, the also 6-foot-4 Harris is just a bit more of a bruiser out there on the wing. He doesn’t get pushed around like Trent and Green have this season. Harris is, of course, basically a zero on offense. But on a Bucks team desperate for wing play, from a source (Harris) out of which they expected to get nothing, he’s been solid in small doses.
2. Kevin Porter Jr., re-signed for two years, $10.5 million – Actually, Porter looks like the most valuable player on the team outside of Giannis Antetokounmpo. Because he has a player option for next season, however, the Bucks will probably only get him at his current cost for one year. That takes away from the overall value of the signing compared to a multi-year investment at a good price point.
When he’s played, though, he has been amazing. Since returning from injury, Porter is averaging 23.2 points, 7.7 assists, and 5.2 rebounds on insane shooting splits. He’s incinerating nets from beyond the arc at nearly a 59% clip, while making 90% of his free throws at five attempts per game. He’s also contributing 2.2 steals. He is having every bit the breakout year fans hoped he would – and then some.
1. Ryan Rollins, re-signed for three years, $12 million – Like Porter, Rollins has a player option in the final year of his contract. Still, that gives the Bucks two seasons of crazy value before his price tag rises. While Rollins hasn’t been quite as good as Porter, he has wowed in his own right across a larger sample size. During periods missing both Giannis and Porter, the Bucks have relied on Rollins as the No. 1 option. And he has responded.
Even with his usage rate dropping after Porter’s return, Rollins is averaging 17.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 6.0 assists this season, his first in anything near a full-time role. His efficiency has decreased as defenses have started blitzing him more, but overall he has put up excellent 47.4/39.3/78.4 shooting splits. An outstanding on-ball defender, Rollins is also averaging 1.7 steals.
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