This is the kind of problem contenders say they want until it actually hits them. Because their latest development success story in Jericho Sims is suddenly stacking good game after good game, and with each performance, he\u2019s making himself more valuable and more expensive. <\/p>\n
For a Bucks team already squeezed financially, that\u2019s not just a nice breakout story. It\u2019s a looming roster problem.<\/p>\n
Look at the recent run. Against Dallas, Sims logged 29 minutes and filled the box score with 8 points, 9 rebounds, a steal, a block, and a +28. Before that was a clean, efficient outing against the Clippers, then a double-digit scoring, double-digit rebounding performance versus San Antonio where his activity level stood out on both ends. Against Portland, he didn\u2019t miss a shot, going 5-of-5 for 12 points while adding rebounds, playmaking, and defensive plays.<\/p>\n
And at that point, five games is less a fluke stretch and more a pattern of a player settling into a role and maximizing it in the final games of an otherwise dreary season.<\/p>\n
The problem is this. He’s likely due for a raise that the Bucks probably can’t give him considering where they’re at financially. Some rebuilding team will offer Sims starter money and the chance to play 25+ minutes nightly, and he’d be smart to take it. Milwaukee’s already deep into the luxury tax with a roster that might be getting blown up this summer. They don’t have the flexibility to pay Sims what he’s earning through this recent play.<\/p>\n
Jericho Sims’ recent run of games is forcing teams to take notice<\/p>\n
Jericho Sims keeps doing exactly what the Bucks need from their backup center, and it’s probably going to cost Milwaukee his services this summer. He’s doing exactly what Milwaukee has been begging for from its frontcourt: running the floor, finishing lobs, defending in space, and bringing a level of athleticism that this roster simply does not have outside of Giannis. <\/p>\n
Compared to how he was when he first arrived in town<\/a>, he’s now a solid, athletic backup big man who doesn\u2019t need touches. He doesn\u2019t slow the game down. He fits. And that\u2019s the problem.<\/p>\n