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Milwaukee Bucks: Will Giannis Antetokounmpo take on even more playmaking in 2019-20?

By Jordan Treske

TORONTO, ONTARIO - MAY 25: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks handles the ball during the first half against the Toronto Raptors in game six of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Scotiabank Arena on May 25, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ONTARIO - MAY 25: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks handles the ball during the first half against the Toronto Raptors in game six of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Scotiabank Arena on May 25, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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After tallying a career year dishing the ball throughout his MVP campaign, will Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo take on an even greater playmaking workload in that department next season?

For as long as he’s been in the NBA, and since he has grown into a bona-fide superstar with the Milwaukee Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo has spent his career redefining his standards.

Year after year, the 24-year-old phenom has grown immensely, topping the production he crafted the previous season to become one of the biggest game-breaking forces standing in the league.

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To say that culminated in his 2018-19 season in which he was ultimately crowned Most Valuable Player would be a disservice to what Antetokounmpo might do to follow up his historic season next year and beyond.

With that said, it represented a benchmark in Antetokounmpo’s personal trajectory and served as a sort of consummation where everything fell into place structurally to fully maximize his all-encompassing skill set, all in the name of success for everyone involved in the Bucks’ banner year last season.

In a season where Antetokounmpo spent the majority of it obliterating rims and producing points in the paint at a rate that hasn’t been seen since prime Shaquille O’Neal, the Greek superstar’s playmaking production was a key feature throughout his MVP-winning campaign. Antetokounmpo averaged a career-high 5.9 assists per game, which went along with a 12 turnover percentage and a 1.58 assist-to-turnover ratio.

On a per-36 minute basis, Antetokounmpo’s average of 6.5 assists outpaces his previous high mark under that criteria at 5.5 assists, which he set during the 2016-17 season (Antetokounmpo’s 4.1 turnovers per 36 minutes from last season topped his previous mark in that department as well).

Furthermore, Antetokounmpo generated 11.5 potential assists per game last season and it only reinforced how much the ball was in Antetokounmpo’s hands, based on his career-high 31.4 usage percentage.

Needless to say, Antetokounmpo was obviously the straw that stirred the Bucks’ drink, so to speak, and his ability to operate the team’s offense at not just his size and vision, but his ball handling skills gives him an advantage that few players around the league possess and are able to showcase.

Additionally, the Bucks’ offensive blueprint and overall geometry installed under reigning NBA Coach of the Year Mike Budenholzer gave Antetokounmpo an awareness of always looking to the four quadrants where his teammates routinely set up shop to initiate their base offense.

This all begs the question of whether Antetokounmpo could set a new highmark for himself in this department with a year of experience playing in Budenholzer’s system under his belt. Early on last year, Antetokounmpo spoke to his growing grasp of acclimating to the read-and-react system after having long been acquainted with the predictable scheme that was established under the previous coaching regime in Milwaukee.

Saying so, while setting the basis for a year in which he’d be one of the most productive players in the league may look silly in retrospect, but it’s a testament to the fact a player as gifted, savvy and competitive as Antetokounmpo is still prone to the same periods of adjustments as everyone else.

That eventually eroded and Antetokounmpo’s knowledge, as well as aptitude pulling the strings under Budenholzer’s system, took center stage as the head coach glowed about Antetokounmpo’s playmaking abilities to ESPN’s Kevin Arnovitz in late December of the Bucks’ campaign last year:

"“I’m beyond impressed at how he sees the court, how he reads defenses and makes quick decisions, hits teammates, passes on time/on target,” Budenholzer says. “Talking with him and visiting with him, I think that’s how he sees himself. This is naturally who he is — a really unselfish guy who can facilitate and make reads and can score. It’s going to be hard because he’s got to do a little bit of everything. But it’s exciting to think he’s capable of being a guard, being a big guy, being a scorer, being a passer. He’s just so unique.”"

Antetokounmpo spoke to thinking more like a guard following the Bucks’ playoff flameout in the Eastern Conference Finals loss to the eventual NBA champion, Toronto Raptors. Under that context, Antetokounmpo referred to developing his long-gestating jump shot, which would undoubtedly round out his otherworldly skill set.

Although that will always be a point of emphasis in Antetokounmpo’s game, considering it stands as the last frontier he’s yet to master, the overall mindset certainly applies to his facilitating skills.

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The reinforcements and additions the Bucks have made during free agency have certainly given Antetokounmpo more freedom to do so. We’ll just have to see whether it becomes an even greater asset in his overall arsenal.

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