Milwaukee Bucks: How Does Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Playoff Play Rank In Franchise History?

Defensive Stopper

Giannis’ length and versatility makes him an incredibly versatile and dangerous weapon for the Bucks on the defensive end, and he’s already channeling that into very tangible plays that are turning games in his team’s favor.

Throughout the series with the Raptors, Giannis created havoc with his length in the passing lanes, while he made a number of notable blocks which included game changers on DeMar DeRozan in Games 1 and 6.

In Bucks history, this ability to make notable defensive plays at that volume in the playoffs has been mostly absent, so Antetokounmpo’s 2.2 steals and 1.7 blocks certainly stands out. Only one other Buck has ever averaged over 2.0 steals and 1.5 blocks per game in the postseason, and that was journeyman forward Brad Lohaus.

Lohaus was an unlikely starter for the Bucks in the 1990 playoffs as he’d start less than 20 percent of the games he played throughout his career, but he certainly made his postseason run count defensively on that occasion.

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 4/29/2017.

Extending beyond any Bucks comparison, Giannis achieving such impressive defensive numbers so early into his career puts him in even loftier company league-wide.

Only Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon can claim to also have averaged over 2.0 steals and 1.5 blocks for a playoff campaign at or before the age of 23.

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 4/30/2017.