5 Notes On Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Playoff Performance So Far

Locking Down With Thon

Everybody on the Milwaukee Bucks’ starting lineup has really long arms. Each of the Bucks starters has a 6’10” or longer wingspan, which is pretty incredible. Giannis and Thon Maker have the longest arms of the group though, and they’ve used them to terrorize the Raptors.

Giannis and Thon have shared the floor for 52 minutes so far in the postseason. They’ve allowed the Raptors to score just 93 points per 100 possessions, while the Bucks have scored 112.8 points per 100 possessions in the same minutes.

Those two combining to play great defense makes a lot of sense. Even if they’re not blocking every shot themselves, having either Giannis, Thon, or both of them in or around the paint is a major deterrent to either Kyle Lowry or DeMar DeRozan driving to the basket.

Those players are good, but they’re not good enough to get through two athletic, long seven-footers. Both Giannis and Thon are laterally quick enough to get between a driving Raptor and the rim quickly.

There’s a reason the Bucks prevented DeMar DeRozan from making a single shot in Game 3–between Tony Snell‘s relentless one-on-one defense and having Thon and Giannis to help, it can be tough to score on this team.