For the first time in almost two months, the Milwaukee Bucks have won back-to-back games. Not coincidentally, these last two wins have come with the return of Giannis Antetokounmpo to the floor after he missed eight games with a calf injury. The Bucks were 2-6 in those games.
Even though Giannis has been playing with a minutes restriction, the effect he has had on the rest of the Bucks roster is easily seen. Since his return, Milwaukee is playing more intelligent basketball, rebounding better as a team, and shooting the ball better.
Of course, this is because other players are not trying to do too much and fill roles typically filled by the two-time NBA MVP. One of the players that has benefitted the most from Giannis’ return is Bobby Portis, whom the Greek Freak himself had high praise for following their victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo praises Bobby Portis after win over Hornets
Dec 29, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward center Bobby Portis (9) drives against Charlotte Hornets guard Josh Green (10) during the first half at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images
In the victory over the Hornets on Monday night, Giannis played just 25 minutes, but still put up 24 points, four rebounds, seven assists, and a steal. Many of his seven assists came on passes to Portis, who himself had a stellar game.
Coming off the bench with Giannis finally back, Portis has shown in the last two games why he consistently is a finalist for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award. Against the Hornets, he had 25 points in 23 minutes to go with two rebounds and an assist.
After the game, Giannis had high praise for Portis, whom many fans would like to see traded:
Giannis on Bobby:
“That’s what he does man. When Bobby is going, you just gotta keep on feeding him. I think he had 3 threes in a row, then he had a floater, had like 14, 13 points in the 4th quarter. Again, you just gotta keep on feeding him. He plays the right way.… pic.twitter.com/fWHf2h6coS
— Bucks Lead (@BucksLead) December 30, 2025
“That’s what he does man. When Bobby is going, you just gotta keep on feeding him. I think he had 3 threes in a row, then he had a floater, had like 14, 13 points in the 4th quarter. Again, you just gotta keep on feeding him. He plays the right way. Defensively, he had a great impact for the game. We need him to keep on being a leader. We need him to keep on scoring the ball. He’s a big part of the 2nd unit. He’s a big part of our team. And when he plays like that, it makes it a lot easier for us to win.”
With how fond Giannis is of Portis, and considering the trade rumors surrounding the two-time MVP himself, it is hard to see the Bucks moving either of them.
So far this season, Portis is averaging 13.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. He is also shooting an incredible 47.3% from three, which ranks third in the NBA.
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