Milwaukee Bucks: Grades for Thanasis Antetokounmpo’s 2-year, $3 million deal

Role

Thanasis’ role is very likely going to be all about energy. As the roster is currently constructed, he may well end up as the 15th man, logging frequent DNPs across the course of the season.

When he does play, though, the Bucks will hope to turn to him for the kind of high intensity he’s demonstrated throughout his career to date. The elder Antetokounmpo may be lacking in some areas of his game, but he doesn’t lack in energy and enthusiasm.

He’ll be tasked with making opposing teams feel his presence defensively when he does get on the floor, and beyond that there’ll likely also be an expectation of him maintaining positive vibes within the locker room. Again, this is no different to what is generally asked of deep bench players around the NBA.

Of course, there is one particular player in the locker room that Thanasis’ presence is best set up to help, and there isn’t necessarily a downside to having someone who knows how to appropriately gauge Giannis’ mood and know when exactly he needs an arm around the shoulder or a fire lit under him.

There’s already been evidence of Thanasis’ ability to do just that, even when operating from a distance. Giannis revealed that Thanasis gave him the required motivation to turn things up following a brutal Game 1 loss against the Celtics and, from there, Milwaukee rolled over Boston for four consecutive games. Scott Cacciola of the New York Times detailed that particular interaction:

"“[Giannis] also received a fairly urgent phone call from his older brother Thanasis, a former member of the Knicks who now plays pro basketball in Greece. The message: You need to play harder. ‘I play for my family,’ Giannis Antetokounmpo said after practice on Monday. ‘So when my family comes and says, ‘Giannis, come on, man. You’ve got to go. You’ve got to be the aggressor, make the right pass,’ that kind of stabs you in your heart. But at the end of the day, it’s the truth, and I know they’re always going to tell me the truth.'”"

From a basketball standpoint, Thanasis will lean on his defense. During his time in what was then the D-League, both prior to and after he was drafted, Antetokounmpo was able to provide real value by being a difference maker on that end. Two of his three seasons at that level finished with Thanasis making All-Defensive teams, and the Bucks will still be hoping there’s room to fine-tune his tools on that end.

Antetokounmpo’s game will undoubtedly have matured since he last played Stateside, particularly having spent the past two seasons with a highly respected program such as Panathinaikos. In the past, the 26-year-old’s problem has been finding the focus, discipline and diligence to match his incredible instincts and the natural gifts that allow him to block shots and create steals as if for fun. Milwaukee’s hope will likely be that he’s further along that road now, but also that they may be able to help him to unlock another level in that regard by coaching up his fundamentals too.

On the offensive side, in spite of optimism prior to being drafted, Thanasis’ jump shot has never really developed, and in fact it’s currently more of an issue for him than it is for his brother. Across 55 games with Panathinaikos last season, Antetokounmpo made just 26.2 percent of his 1.18 three-pointers per game.

Most positives on that end of the floor will come from Thanasis’ utilizing his exceptional athleticism, although it’s worth noting that he’s developed his off-ball intelligence over the years to become a threat on cuts too.