This week in the Milwaukee Bucks world has been nothing short of Disney’s Rock N’ Rollercoaster— it’s been all over the fucking place.
Amid endless outside noise that has essentially been recycled rubbish, the Bucks pulled out a seemingly improbable win on Wednesday night.
We saw Giannis play for precisely three minutes, and won’t see him again for the next several weeks— or, as some believe, in a Bucks uniform altogether.
But besides beating the Eastern Conference’s top team on Wednesday, there was a familiar face doing familiar things.
Jericho Sims Does What Bucks Desperately Need
So far this season, the Bucks have established themselves as possibly the most polarizing NBA team in recent memory.
They are the best three-point shooting team in the league and rank second in eFG%— yet find themselves 10th in the East and three games under .500.
On Wednesday, Bucks reserve center Jericho Sims dropped a career-high 15 points and added 14 rebounds in just over 30 minutes on the hardwood.
That is, no doubt, a small sample size. Wednesday was Sims’ third time playing north of 20 minutes this season, and his previous season high in points was six.
But the 27-year-old is no stranger to making an impact.
You may recall last season’s playoff series against the Pacers. Outcries for lineup change(s) were finally heard, with Sims being a key yet underappreciated piece of what many fans wanted to see more of— Kevin Porter Jr., Gary Trent Jr. and Sims.
His confidence during that playoff series was beaming.
https://twitter.com/BucksLead/status/1916631254717644990
Not An All-Star, But a Glue Guy
Now, Sims is in no way an offensive juggernaut. He’s limited to mostly around-the-rim play and doesn’t have a jumper from any spot on the floor.
But any offensive limitations shouldn’t bother anyone when the Bucks, as mentioned, remain among the top shooting metrics in the league.
What they don’t do? Rebound, create second-chance opportunities and defend effectively when switched. They rank last in offensive rebounds with only 8.3 per game — Houston leads the league with exactly double that number — and subsequently rank last in second-chance points per game at 10.7.
Sims’ ability to stay grounded when switching or hedging defensively is something the Bucks desperately need more of. While Bobby Portis became a fan favorite for his offensive shotmaking and gritty demeanor, he remains a liability on defense.
Sims, meanwhile, can shut it down.
The guy the Bucks traded Delon Wright for will not average 15 points a game, but he will do enough to make opposing teams worry about him in a pick-and-roll lob-threat situation, or on the glass for a tapout second-chance opportunity. Aside from Giannis, Jericho is the only other lob threat and rebounding strength the team currently has.
This isn’t new information.
A regular dosage of Jericho Sims unquestionably needs to happen while Giannis is out— but when Giannis returns as well.
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