Milwaukee Bucks: Building an all-time team around Giannis Antetokounmpo

Milwaukee Bucks’ all-time team built around Giannis: Brook Lopez – C

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the obvious pick at center for any greatest Bucks team, but for as dominant as they’d be defensively, the truth is he and Giannis would be unlikely to effortlessly mesh together as a duo.

What Antetokounmpo needs is a center that is diligent and skilled, takes their responsibilities seriously, and simply won’t get in the way of him doing what he does best on both ends of the floor.

In the current team, that’s exactly what he’s found in Brook Lopez, and expanding the player pool to the more than 50-year history of the Bucks offers no really pressing reason to change that.

Lopez is a willing long-range shooter who is content to camp outside on the perimeter, leaving the paint clear for Antetokounmpo and others to go to work via open driving lanes. At the same time, when needed, Brook is sufficiently skilled and strong to back down opponents and chip in with his fair share of points from the interior.

Defensively, the Stanford alumni is a formidable shot blocker who has excelled alongside Giannis, specifically because he’s disciplined enough to hold position, box out, and allow Antetokounmpo to make flashier plays and pile up rebounds.

Again, it’s a testament to just how well-constructed the current Bucks are that it would be tough to imagine a better fit alongside Giannis than what Lopez already provides.