Milwaukee Bucks Roundtable: Impressions through 10 games
By Adam McGee
2. Who or what would you pick out as either the standout performer or trend from the Bucks’ trip out West?
DL: Giannis Antetokounmpo. It’s hard to believe that he had another level or two to go up after last season. However, he showed on this road trip why he’s likely to become one of a select few players who’ve ever repeated as league MVP.
The way he controlled the game on both ends of the court in the past four games has been something to behold. However, what’s even more impressive to me is how Antetokounmpo responded to bad misses and stretches he had shooting the ball. Giannis’ performance in Utah, in particular, suggests that whatever struggles he had with his confidence after the Raptors series this past spring has subsided. Giannis showed that he has complete belief in his game, and a better understanding of how to respond when things aren’t breaking his way. Antetokounmpo showing additional resiliency and an edge is bad news for the rest of the NBA.
BR: Standout performer has to be Giannis. The man is playing on another planet right now with five-straight 30-point games, all with at least 13 boards. His dominance has been incredible to watch, and his assertiveness on both ends during this four-game road trip was on another level from what we are used to seeing from him. He still looked to get his teammates involved, but his increased willingness to exploit the fact that he is bigger, stronger, and more physical than nearly every other player was a major factor in allowing him to score at will.
As Dan mentions, his response to adversity when things weren’t breaking his way was devastating for opposing teams. After a sloppy first half against the Thunder in which the Bucks committed some head-scratching errors, Giannis kicked a hole in a Thunder sign in the tunnel on the way to the locker room and proceeded to lay waste to Chris Paul and company in the second half. He’s currently playing at an insane level, proving why the MVP trophy is currently in his house and no one else’s.
An honorable mention would be Eric Bledsoe, who has elevated his play in the last four games after a slow start. He scored 20 points or more in all four games out West, something he hadn’t done so far this year prior to this trip.
LB: It’s 100 percent gotta be the freakiest and the Greekiest, Giannis Antetokounmpo. LOOK AT THIS GRAPH. Every time I do it makes me laugh. I’m starting to believe Giannis when he says he’s only at about 60 percent of what he can be. He’s shooting 59 percent from the floor (66 percent on twos!), holds his highest career averages for points, assists, and rebounds, and for the last five games has averaged over 20 field goal attempts a game. The kid is finally shooting more!
He’s also managing this while getting, in my opinion, the league’s worst whistle among superstars. Is some of this on Giannis? Sure. He can absolutely stop those weird reach-in fouls after he misses a shot. He can still get better with his discipline when driving towards the rim. But the fact that he already has 17 offensive fouls in 10 games is astounding. Five fouls in the fourth quarter of Friday’s game against Utah was as stunning as it was frustrating. You’re telling me Giannis is so strong he’s sending other 7’0″, 235lb dudes flying into the second row of the stands? Whatever town Giannis plays in has become Flop City, USA as of late.
JT: I’m a follower by nature and I will follow Dan, Ben and Logan by highlighting Giannis’ play throughout the Bucks’ road trip.
I mean, what Giannis is doing in the second half of games this season alone is simply spectacular, as Adam detailed on Tuesday, and the Bucks have certainly needed it in a few of their wins over the Toronto Raptors, LA Clippers and the Oklahoma City Thunder. And on some of those occasions, Antetokounmpo has stood resilient in the face of making uncharacteristic mistakes like turning the ball over a ton, getting into foul trouble, being weirdly passive to start games and struggling to put down points at the free throw line.
But I can’t resist giving a shout out to Eric Bledsoe, who is looking more and more like his regular season self after lurking in the background to start the season and there’s an argument to be made that he’s delivered the best stretch of consistent performances ever in a Bucks uniform as he did on the road.
AM: I’m going to do more than give a shout out to Eric Bledsoe, because he’s my pick. As someone who regularly writes our post-game grades pieces, I believe players reach a certain point in their career when it only makes sense to compare their performances to themselves. In other words, Giannis Antetokounmpo was incredible on the trip, but I’d say he was likely just a little over what’s absurdly become his average.
On the other side of the coin, given everything that Bledsoe has been through (and put Bucks fans through) at times over the past two season, his play on this trip was way above what he’s been for the Bucks for quite some time. He’ll need to keep that up now, but it was certainly promising for things to break that way when they did.