Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways from 124-119 loss to Cleveland Cavaliers

Shaquille Antetokounmpo

Regardless of whether you consider Giannis Antetokounmpo to be the Bucks’ power forward, small forward, or point guard, he is the team’s primary ball-handler. According to NBA.com, he leads the team in total dribbles, which is even more impressive when you consider it only takes him two dribbles to get to the rim from half-court.

If you looked at Giannis’ shot chart you would have no idea this was the case. On Tuesday night, this was particularly true as he dominated at the rim, shooting 16-of-21 from the field. While Giannis is no stranger to effective shooting at the rim, this was a different type of outburst.

Giannis Antetokounmpo dominated the low-post game, scoring at will against both Jae Crowder and J.R. Smith. He was particularly effective spinning baseline, as Cleveland refused to double early on. The Cavs paid the price for this questionable strategy and switched midway through the second half.

Giannis’ post scoring has been a sneaky improvement this season. When surrounded by four shooters, a Giannis post-up becomes a lose-lose proposition for any opponent. Play him one-on-one, you get burned in the paint. Send the double and it starts a string of ball-movement around the perimeter, leaving your defense scrambling.