Bobby Portis Replacement Reacts to New Role With Bucks Following Suspension

The Milwaukee big man has stepped up in the wake of Portis' 25-game suspension.

Feb 12, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA: Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis (9) dribbles against the Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid (11) in the second quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images / Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

One of the newest additions to the Milwaukee Bucks, deep-bench center Jericho Sims, found himself surprisingly pressed into service to help his team survive what would have been an embarrassing Washington Wizards rally on Friday night. It was just his second game for Milwaukee after his arrival via trade.

The fairly raw Sims, acquired from the New York Knicks in a minor move earlier this month, was expected to be something of a fringe rotation piece, a big body the Bucks could throw out during specific situations to draw fouls.

Instead, he's going to be assuming perpetual Sixth Man of the Year contender Bobby Portis' spot as the Bucks' third true big man. Portis, 30, has 23 games to go as he continues to serve a 25-game suspension after he tested positive for a banned substance around Thanksgiving.

More Milwaukee Bucks: Doc Rivers Reacts to Bobby Portis Suspension, 'Bobby is Not a Drug User'

Per Eric Nehm of The Athletic, Sims reflected on his unorthodox route into cracking the Bucks' rotation.

Jericho Sims, on getting his first action with the Bucks: "I just heard about it before shootaround and (a suspension) is not the way that you want to come in (to the rotation), but I was just excited to get my legs underneath me for the first win."

— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) February 21, 2025

"I just heard about it before shootaround and (a suspension) is not the way that you want to come in (to the rotation), but I was just excited to get my legs underneath me for the first win," Sims said.

When eight-time All-NBA Bucks superstar power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo was surprisingly ejected with 3:36 remaining in regulation for recording his sixth foul, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers initially leaned on a small-ball lineup — and quickly saw his team coughing up a sizable lead. Rivers pivoted, bringing in 7-foot-1 starting center Brook Lopez who saved the day with some clutch free throw shooting.

Read More: Bucks All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo Shockingly Ejected From Wizards Game

Generally, superstar players aren't ejected from games, whether they foul rival players frequently enough to warrant it or not.

Sims played sparingly against the Wizards in Milwaukee's eventual 104-101 victory. Across 17:47 of action, the 6-foot-10 big man out of Texas took no shots. That said, the 26-year-old did grab five rebounds, dish out one dime, block one shot, and offer up one aggressive foul. That output still marked an improvement over Sims' output in his Bucks debut, a zero-point, two-rebound affair in Milwaukee's 116-110 victory over the L.A. Clippers on Thursday.

This is why Jericho Sims was a +9 with 0 points and only 2 rebounds in 19 minutes pic.twitter.com/bP4bbqcKk6

— Follow HeavenlyBuckets (@Heavenlybuckets) February 22, 2025

Sims is not the floor-spacing scorer Portis has been for Milwaukee since arriving in 2020-21, but he's a solid rim protector, screen setter and rebounder (he's pulling down 10.7 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per 36 minutes this season) and can thrive in that limited role.

On the year, he's averaging 1.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 11.1 minutes a night. Through his first two games for the Bucks so far, he's logging 0.0 points, 3.5 boards, 0.5 dimes and 0.5 rejections in 17.5 minutes.

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