Milwaukee Bucks 2018-19 Season Review: Giannis Antetokounmpo
By Adam McGee
The best of Antetokounmpo
The best of Antetokounmpo’s season can be found in all of the games and moments when he seized total control, and dominated his opponents on both ends of the floor.
Considering the Bucks won 60 games before cruising through two (and a half) rounds of the playoffs, those instances were certainly plentiful too.
Antetokounmpo reached new heights as the philosophies of Mike Budenholzer opened up the floor for him, all while leading to him playing reduced minutes totals too.
In just 32.8 minutes per game, Antetokounmpo set new career-highs in points (27.7), rebounds (12.5), assists (5.9) and field goal percentage (57.8).
Antetokounmpo’s influence on the game was greater than ever as his gravity opened up the floor for his teammates to let fly from deep, which in turn gifted him greater space to operate in, while on the defensive end, the addition of Brook Lopez as a defensive anchor afforded Antetokounmpo greater freedom to make plays from the weak side and in the passing lanes too.
That speaks to a notable improvement in Antetokounmpo understanding how to maximize and best utilize the significant physical advantages he boasts. He leveraged his length better than ever before this season, whether that was in judging how his strides could see him blow by defenders for an easy finish, or just when and where he could take a gamble in essentially covering two positions defensively.
Antetokounmpo is going to have a lengthy stay at the top of the NBA, and this was the season when he truly ascended to those lofty heights.