Projecting 5 Bucks Who Could Improve The Most Next Season
By Adam McGee
Mar 28, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) dunks a basket against Golden State Warriors center Festus Ezeli (31) in the second quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Last but by no means least is The Greek Freak himself, Giannis Antetokounmpo. It’s tougher to pinpoint where Giannis could go with his game next season than it is with anyone else, simply because his potential is so colossal.
If things go right for Giannis he could be on his way to a legendary career as his game and physical attributes provide him with a whole host of the attributes he needs. Even if it goes wrong, Antetokounmpo would likely be an outstanding role player though.
I ran a list of guards and forwards (his positional versatility means it’s only right) who are 6’9″ or taller to see who Giannis’ numbers compared to through two seasons. The results were compiled of players who amassed more than 1,500 points, 850 rebounds, 350 assists and 100 steals.
| Totals | Shooting | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Ht | G | MP | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PTS | FG% | 3P% | FT% |
| Larry Bird* | 6-9 | 164 | 6194 | 1747 | 821 | 304 | 116 | 552 | 3486 | .476 | .359 | .849 |
| Blake Griffin | 6-10 | 148 | 5504 | 1706 | 522 | 117 | 93 | 373 | 3213 | .524 | .225 | .593 |
| Kevin Garnett | 6-11 | 157 | 5288 | 1119 | 381 | 191 | 294 | 285 | 2144 | .496 | .286 | .736 |
| Derrick Coleman | 6-10 | 139 | 4809 | 1377 | 368 | 125 | 197 | 465 | 2653 | .484 | .316 | .746 |
| Vin Baker | 6-11 | 164 | 5921 | 1467 | 459 | 146 | 230 | 383 | 2556 | .490 | .276 | .581 |
| Shareef Abdur-Rahim | 6-9 | 162 | 5752 | 1136 | 388 | 168 | 155 | 482 | 3323 | .470 | .359 | .767 |
| Lamar Odom | 6-10 | 152 | 5603 | 1187 | 709 | 165 | 217 | 522 | 2563 | .449 | .333 | .700 |
| Karl Malone* | 6-9 | 163 | 5332 | 1573 | 394 | 209 | 104 | 516 | 2982 | .505 | .000 | .548 |
| Juwan Howard | 6-9 | 146 | 5642 | 1205 | 525 | 119 | 54 | 469 | 2893 | .489 | .200 | .714 |
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | 6-11 | 158 | 4438 | 881 | 357 | 133 | 146 | 295 | 1555 | .464 | .296 | .719 |
| Tom Gugliotta | 6-10 | 159 | 5590 | 1509 | 582 | 306 | 86 | 477 | 2520 | .446 | .276 | .666 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/24/2015.
If Giannis develops at a level of guys like Larry Bird, Kevin Garnett or Karl Malone did from this point on, Bucks fans will be dancing in the streets, but it’s looking at some of the other options that’s particularly interesting.
Guys like Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Lamar Odom built outstanding careers for themselves without often truly being first options. Even someone like former Buck, and Summer League assistant, Vin Baker had an outstanding career, and by the time he was in his third season, he was in a position to kick on and really come into his own.
If Giannis can keep track with that type of company, even his worst case scenario should prove to be very valuable to Milwaukee for years to come.
Next: 2015-16 Stat-Line Projections