The Milwaukee Bucks are one team that many people are going to keep an eye on during the stretch run of the NBA season. Heading into the All-Star break they were hitting the skids, as the team was struggling under new head coach Doc Rivers.
Rivers replaced Adrian Griffin, who was shockingly replaced after coaching the team to a 30-13 start. Rumors swirled about why the change was made, but Rivers has not had the positive impact the team had hoped for.
Taking over a team in the middle of the season certainly isn’t an easy task. But, Rivers is an experienced head coach that has faced all kinds of obstacles. With some time off to get things and order and prepare, maybe we will see a better product on the court.
There are several issues Rivers needs to work through, with arguably the biggest one being Bobby Ports. When taking a look at Portis’ production, it is clear he is an important part of the team.
He is a key player off the bench in the frontcourt, averaging 12.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 24 minutes per game. His skill set and size allows him to be deployed as the backup power forward or center as he can play alongside Brook Lopez or Giannis Antetokounmpo.
However, the production of his teammates when on the court with him is telling. As shared by imbetta on X, formerly Twitter, all of the Bucks perform more efficiently when Portis is off the court than on,
Antetokounmpo, Malik Beasley and Marjon Beauchamp are the only players with a positive net rating when on the court with Portis. With him off the court, Pat Connaughton, Beauchamp and the newly acquired Patrick Beverley are the only players in the rotation with a negative net rating.
That is something Rivers will have to figure out a way to turn around in the remainder of the regular season. The Bucks window to contend is right now, but they need better production from several players in the coming weeks and months to live up to those expectations.
Given how the team currently looks, not many people would consider the Bucks as a legitimate contender for the NBA Championship. That could change with stars in Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard on the squad, but Rivers needs to figure out a way to get the most out of role players such as Portis as well.
Portis is seventh on the team in minutes per game but is one of the keys to turning things around. Rivers has to find a way to make things work with him on the court or begin decreasing his minutes if the detrimental performance continues.
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