Milwaukee Bucks 2017-18 Season Review: Giannis Antetokounmpo

The worst of Antetokounmpo

Without question, the biggest downside or the most notable problem in what was an excellent season for Antetokounmpo was his lingering injury problems.

In total, Antetokounmpo played 75 games, so both the player and the team can count themselves lucky that there were no serious injuries to really slow him down. Still, Giannis’ injuries were troublesome and provided a constant story to keep on eye on throughout the season, much as they will beyond this year.

Having withdrawn from the Greek National Team squad due to what was a highly contentious knee injury last summer, Antetokounmpo continued to suffer from soreness in his right knee early in the year, requiring occasional games off.

Antetokounmpo missed a single game for the issue in both November and December, before sitting out two games in January which ultimately coincided with the end of Jason Kidd‘s tenure as head coach.

That more elongated rest allowed Antetokounmpo to go eight days without a game, and marked the last time he was forced to sit with a knee injury on the season overall.

Although he wasn’t forced to miss as many games due to ankle issues, the three games missed by Antetokounmpo late in the season came as a result of sprains. In fact, Giannis rolling his ankle became an increasingly common sight.

There’s no reason to believe either injury will trouble Antetokounmpo in the longer term, but they’ll remain worth monitoring, particularly in terms of whether he requires extended rests at times during the year.

Away from injury, the only real negative for Giannis came in the form of inconsistencies with his jump shot. In saying that, Antetokounmpo has clearly developed preferred spots, such as the baseline, where he’s comfortable in knocking down jumpers with greater regularity, but at times that has led to him settling and becoming passive rather than driving to the rim.