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Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers had very high praise for new big man Jericho Sims, acquired at the trade deadline from the New York Knicks.
“Jericho is a super athlete, you know, reminds me of a DeAndre Jordan type of athlete,” Rivers said pre-All Star Break. “And so, you know, I've had a lot of luck with guys like that.”
You might remember that Rivers thought so highly of Jordan, a staple of the Clippers' ‘Lob City' days, that he lobbied for Jordan's jersey retirement. That high opinion of his new center hasn't translated into playing time. Sims, in three games with the Bucks, played zero minutes.
But by necessity, Sims' bench warming days are likely over with the Thursday morning news that Bobby Portis will have to sit the next 25 games due to suspension for using a banned medication. The last time Portis sat for an extended period, the Bucks got manhandled in the paint.
Portis, the team's sixth man, averages 25 minutes and eight rebounds a game. Although often faulted for defensive lapses and other perceived gaps in his game, Portis reliably brought a junkyard dog mentality that led to big nights on the boards and that endear him to Bucks' fans. Filling the gap in the interior won't be easy.
Center Brook Lopez has largely migrated to the perimeter, pulling down just 4.7 boards a game despite his hulking size. Antetokounmpo remains a walking hoover, sucking down 12.2 boards a game. But he's coming off a calf injury and his bench minutes were often ably filled by Portis.
New addition Kyle Kuzma, at 6-foot-10, is an active and aggressive rebounder. But the team is going to need more help filling Portis' stat lines.
Enter Sims.
The 6-foot-10 center is, as Rivers suggested, an athletic freak. He weighs in at a chiseled 250 pounds and has the leaping ability of an actual buck, the deer kind. He registered a vertical leap of 44.5 inches at the NBA Draft Combine, the third-highest in league history.
But all those hops and hype haven't translated into much more than occasional highlight plays for Sims, including this thunderdunk over new teammate Kuzma. His career averages over four seasons with the Knicks: 13 minutes, 2.4 points and 3.9 rebounds a game.
He'll likely have an opportunity to prove himself in bigger minutes for a team that, despite an up-and-down season and ongoing injuries, still has title aspirations.
Bucks fans: welcome to Sims City. Mayor Bobby will be out of office for a while.
