Get to know: Bucks power forward Bobby Portis

Lost in the hype of the Milwaukee Bucks trade for Jrue Holiday was the signing of power forward Bobby Portis.

Portis, 25, spent last season on the New York Knicks after playing four seasons with the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards.

The 6-foot-10 University of Arkansas product has shown an ability to score off the bench and has emerged as a decent 3-point shooter, so he should fit in well in head coach Mike Budenholzer’s system.

So, what are the Bucks getting in Portis?

COLLEGE

Portis was born in Little Rock, Ark., and played high school basketball in his hometown at Hall High School. He was the 17th-ranked player in the 2013 class by 247sports, a McDonald’s All-American and earned Arkansas Mr. Basketball as a senior. Portis chose to stay in the Natural State and play college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Portis shined right away at Arkansas. As a freshman, he averaged 12.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game and was named to the SEC All-Freshman team. He improved even more as a sophomore, winning the 2014-15 SEC Player of the Year award as well as the All-SEC team. Portis averaged 17.5 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.4 blocks per game in 2014-15 while shooting 53.6% from the floor. The Razorbacks went 27-9 and made it to the round of 32 in the NCAA tournament that season.

PRO CAREER

The Chicago Bulls selected Portis with the 22nd overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft. He was mostly a bench player with the Bulls and started 27 of his 221 career games in Chicago. Portis played 19.3 minutes per game during his time with the Bulls and averaged 9.7 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting 35% from long range. A 30.8% 3-point shooter as a rookie, the former Razorback got better and better from deep each year in the NBA, shooting 33.3% in year two, 35.9% in year three and 37.5% in his fourth season with the Bulls.

After three full seasons in Chicago, Portis was traded midway through his fourth year in the NBA (the 2018-19 season) to the Washington Wizards in a deal that also sent Jabari Parker and a 2023 second-round pick to Washington in exchange for Otto Porter. Portis started 22 of 28 games as a Wizard, shooting 40.3% from deep and recording 14.3 points and 8.6 boards a contest.

Portis became a free agent after that season and subsequently signed a one-year deal with a team option with the New York Knicks. That contract paid him $15 million in the first year. After averaging 10.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 35.8% shooting from deep with New York, the Knicks declined his option, which freed him up to sign with Milwaukee.

CONTRACT

Portis signed a two-year contract worth $7.4 million with the Bucks which has a player option in the second season.

HIGHLIGHTS

PERSONAL

Portis majored in dietetics and nutrition at Arkansas.

Portis’ younger brother Jared Simmons recently received an offer to play football at Arkansas.

After wearing shoes from Kyrie Irving’s line, Portis recently switched to – and perhaps this was prescient of him – to Zoom Freak 1s.

Portis considers himself to be an underdog story and he sells merchandise with the Underdog logo.

Portis’ reactions at times also earned him the nickname “Crazy Eyes,” which at first he wasn’t thrilled with (and his mom really didn’t like it), but he learned to embrace it and even sells t-shirts with his face adorned on it along with the name.

Speaking of his mom, Portis has said he envisions players slapping his mother before games to get him in the frame of mind to go out and play physical basketball. His mom, Tina Edwards, is also the reason he established the Bobby Portis Foundation back home in Arkansas. The foundation helps single moms and their families.

Portis can be found on Twitter @BPortistime and on Instagram at @bportistime.