Could Bobby Portis Jr. be close to returning to the Milwaukee Bucks?

Even though the Milwaukee Bucks have won nine straight games, they're still missing a vital component of their attack—backup big man Bobby Portis Jr. Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer gave an update regarding his prized sixth man, which bodes well for an imminent return.

On-court work

After suffering a Grade 2 sprain of his right medial collateral ligament in a game against the Detroit Pistons last month, Portis has been hard at work off the court to get back in shape. He was recently seen on the floor, going through a rigorous workout with Bucks staffers. Afterward, Budenholzer reported that he was seeing Portis do more and more over the last few weeks.

“Bobby’s doing very well,” Budenholzer said. “I think he’s really crushing it to be honest with you. There’s no new update, but he’s making progress and I would say even maybe slightly ahead of schedule. So very positive, very optimistic for him, we’ll see how the next week or so goes.”

Could Portis play next week?

The Bucks have several days off before hosting the top seed in the Eastern Conference and their most ardent rival, the Boston Celtics, at the Fiserv Forum on February 14th.

They'll then take on the Chicago Bulls on February 16th before going on the All-Star break. So, could Portis possibly return next week? Budenholzer was non-commital, saying that he would have to see how Portis' rehabilitation goes over the next few days.

“We’ll just see how the next week goes,” Budenholzer said. “There’s no update, no timeline as we speak today."