Despite entering his sixth NBA season and third with the Milwaukee Bucks, Jericho Sims remains something of an enigma.
The Bucks acquired Sims in February 2025 as part of the four-team deal better known as the Khris Middleton trade. A former late second-round pick, Sims built his NBA career around doing the dirty work expected of a reserve big man.
The problem is that the results have often been uneven.
Sims stands 6-foot-10 and weighs a chiseled 250 pounds. He can jump out of the gym and has enough lateral quickness to switch onto forwards on the perimeter. There’s no denying the physical tools are intriguing. They just haven’t consistently translated into production.
Among the 111 centers who played in the NBA last season, Sims ranked 69th in defensive rebound percentage. He also turned the ball over on a whopping quarter of his offensive possessions, an especially troubling number for a player whose role rarely requires him to do anything other than catch the rock and lay it in the hoop.
At 27 years old, Sims is probably close to a finished product at this point. He is what he is.
That’s also why his place on Milwaukee’s depth chart is fairly clear. He enters the season as the third center behind Myles Turner and Kel’el Ware, with little reason to expect that hierarchy to change.
With his role largely defined, let’s check in on one realistic and one ambitious goal for Sims this season.
Realistic goal: Provide reliable spot starts and minutes
The Bucks could be in trouble if they have to rely on Sims for heavy minutes again this season. Turner is the more established veteran, while Ware has significantly more upside and should be prioritized whenever possible.
Still, an NBA season is long. Injuries happen. Players need rest. There will also be nights when Milwaukee needs an injection of energy or physicality.
That’s where Sims can be useful.
He doesn’t need to become a regular contributor to have value. If he can step into the rotation for a handful of games, defend with energy, rebound, screen and finish around the rim without making too many mistakes, he’ll have done his job.
For a third center, reliability in small doses can be enough.
Ambitious goal: Earn a spot at the back end of the rotation
It’s probably unfair to focus only on Sims’ limitations. He does bring a few useful traits to the table.
He plays with plenty of defensive energy and effort, flying around that end of the court and using his athleticism to cover ground.
He’s also strong enough to battle true centers while remaining agile enough to switch onto forwards and occasionally survive against wings. That kind of defensive versatility has value, especially for a coach who likes to mix coverages.
That path is admittedly narrow. Milwaukee probably doesn’t have room for three centers in the regular rotation, and Ware is unlikely to be the one squeezed out.
That means Sims may need a trade, injury or unexpected role change ahead of him to open the door.
If that opportunity comes, his goal should be to take advantage of it well enough that Jenkins has a hard time putting him back on the bench.
Sims may not control whether the opening appears. He can control whether he’s ready when it does.
Add us as a preferred source on Google