Milwaukee Bucks: Key Takeaways From Loss To Charlotte Hornets

Um…GIANNIS!

There shouldn’t be too much debate over who stood out the most for the Bucks against the Hornets, even arguably both teams combined.

In a game-high 39 minutes, Giannis Antetokounmpo pretty much carried the Bucks’ offense by scoring 31 points (also a game-high), while adding in nine boards and five assists.

Hitting 13 shots on 21 field goal attempts, Giannis did much of his damage driving to the rim (Giannis went 10-for-15 on attempts within range of the rim, per NBA.com/stats). That by no means suggests that he had it easy on his way to the bucket as his matchup, Nicolas Batum, didn’t make anything easy for Giannis for much of the night, pressuring him whenever possible.

However, Giannis showed a few flashes of his shooting range, including a much needed catch and shoot three when the Bucks were at their lowest offensively in the game.

All night long, Giannis did his best to give the Bucks the scoring punch they were sorely needing against the Hornets.  Even in the handful of minutes he didn’t see action on the floor, his presence was thoroughly missed.

Outside of his scoring, one other key thing stood out for Giannis: his lack of turnovers.

You don’t want to take too much out of preseason, but it was hard not to be concerned by Giannis’ alarming turnover rate (Giannis had a 15.8 turnover ratio per 100 possessions during the preseason).  It’s just the first game of many in a long season, but seeing Giannis only register one turnover in his 39 minutes is reassuring.