Milwaukee Bucks: Midseason grades for every player on the roster

MILWAUKEE, WI - DECEMBER 6: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks smiles on the bench against the LA Clippers on December 6, 2019 at the Fiserv Forum Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images).
MILWAUKEE, WI - DECEMBER 6: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks smiles on the bench against the LA Clippers on December 6, 2019 at the Fiserv Forum Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images).
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MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – OCTOBER 09: (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – OCTOBER 09: (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

Thanasis Antetokounmpo

Thanasis Antetokounmpo was expected to be little more than an end of bench piece when he was signed by the Bucks in the summer, and that has largely been the case to this point in the season.

That isn’t meant to undersell Thanasis’ contributions in his limited minutes, though. When the elder Antetokounmpo brother does get to play, and that is usually at the end of games, he brings his trademark high octane style, and reliably does something to let everyone know he’s in the game.

Through his 15 appearances, that has included multiple show-stopping dunks and jaw-dropping defensive plays, with Thanasis averaging 2.0 points in his 4.1 minutes per game.

Also worth mentioning is how well Thanasis performed as a small-ball center in his sole start of the season against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. That may just have been something of a stunt from Coach Budenholzer for Greek Heritage night, but Thanasis’ performance at the 5 was impressive enough to potentially make that a wildcard look we could see again before the season is out.

Grade: C