Bucks ill-equipped to handle untimely suspension of Bobby Portis Jr.

This is backbreaking news for a Bucks team, which—currently in fifth place in the Eastern Conference—is desperately trying to overtake the fourth-seeded Pacers (currently just one game ahead of the Bucks) and claim home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Additionally, an extended Bobby Portis-related cold spell could result in the Bucks falling into the play-in range—they currently have just two more wins than the seventh-seeded Orlando Magic. For a veteran-laden team like the Bucks, led by Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, falling into the play-in tournament—in the Eastern Conference no less—would be borderline catastrophic. 

Unfortunately for the Bucks, with the way their roster is currently constructed, they’re not all that well-equipped to deal with an extended absence from Portis. Portis has been one of the more consistent and reliable sixth men in the NBA over the last half-decade, and without him, the Bucks’ already top-heavy roster becomes even more so. 

In Portis’ absence, the Bucks will likely look to glean some extra size and scoring from a handful of players. First and foremost, the newly acquired Kyle Kuzma feels like the most obvious candidate to step up in the absence of Portis. The only problem is that Kuzma was brought in as a replacement for Khris Middleton. Asking for Kuzma to be anything more than a third option could come with some wide-ranging results. Head coach Doc Rivers should be wary of how much he expands Kuzma’s role. While Kuzma’s production through his four games with the Bucks have been solid, his shooting slash of .423/.222/.680 is not for the faint of heart. 

Looking beyond Kuzma, the alternative options don’t improve a whole lot. Portis seeped up a lot of minutes as the Bucks’ backup center behind Brook Lopez, but with Portis out of the picture, expect to see a lot of those minutes go to Giannis Antetokounmpo—currently out with a calf injury—and Jericho Sims—whos yet to see the court after being acquired by the Bucks at the deadline. 

Coach Doc Rivers could look to 2024 second-round pick Tyler Smith, a player whose game mirrors Portis’s closer than anyone else on the roster. But given Rivers’ longstanding proclivity to not hand big minutes to rookies, this feels unlikely. Smith, who has only played 75 minutes across 15 games all season long, is unlikely to be the player the Bucks lean on most during Portis’ suspension. 

The Bucks are assuredly surveying all possible solutions right now for their Portis problem. Unfortunately, the perfect solution doesn’t appear to currently be on their roster. The importance of Portis to the Bucks is about to be put on full display, and don’t be surprised if they drop a seed or two in the Eastern Conference standings as a result of his suspension.