Milwaukee Bucks: 5 goals for Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2018-19 season
By Adam McGee
Standing out defensively
Antetokounmpo has been one of the league’s very best defenders for close to three seasons. This is not news to Milwaukee Bucks fans but, for one reason or another, it’s something that often seems to get overlooked in league-wide discussions of the best defenders.
This was highlighted as Antetokounmpo missed out on All-Defensive team honors last season (picking up just six votes), and received just a single vote for Defensive Player of the Year.
Explaining why he voted for Antetokounmpo on the All-Defensive First Team, Zach Lowe of ESPN touched on why there might be an issue with his perception.
"“I’ve seen a lot of folks leave Antetokounmpo off. I get it. Milwaukee is awful on defense, and even though they are way stingier with Antetokounmpo on the floor, they are only something like a league-average outfit in those minutes. Watch them play, and you realize that has zero to do with Antetokounmpo. Dude is a monster. He’s everywhere. He averaged 10 rebounds per game, and challenged as many shots around the rim as a lot of starting centers. He is one of maybe six guys in the whole league who can legitimately guard every position.”"
If Milwaukee’s brutal team defense has led to Antetokounmpo being under-appreciated on that end in a wider sense, the change of coaching staff should certainly create the potential for major gains in that department.
On that front, Antetokounmpo receiving significant buzz in the defensive categories of the 2018-19 ballot will almost certainly be an excellent barometer for just how successful the season has proven to be for him and the Bucks.