Giannis Antetokounmpo’s decision to stay long-term with the Milwaukee Bucks has given them the security needed to go through their early ups and downs.
Upon entering 2021, the Milwaukee Bucks and their fans can take a moment to look back at 2020.
Although not the year anyone hoped it would be for obvious reasons, focusing specifically on the NBA, the season definitely did not go the way Bucks fans hoped when 2020 began. But it did end the way fans hoped.
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The gift that Giannis Antetokounmpo gave the fans, the city, and the state of Wisconsin by signing his supermax contract cannot, and should not be forgotten. Until December 15, though, the year 2020 was trending truly in the wrong direction.
When Antetokounmpo first returned to the United States from his offseason time in Greece, Bucks fans had joyfully anticipated the good news that now that he was back, was coming to training camp, and, of course, signing his supermax contract.
This did not happen right away, which made Bucks fans nervous and the NBA media ravenous with speculation. Well, fans had nothing to fret about as Antetokounmpo’s loyalty to the Bucks prevailed.
https://twitter.com/Giannis_An34/status/1338912608662003715
As the Milwaukee Bucks have gotten off to an uneven start to the season, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s decision has given the franchise secruity with a new-look roster.
Now, as Bucks fans, we all need to remember the gift of Antetokounmpo signing his supermax contract, all of which closed out an offseason that filled with numerous changes. The trade for Jrue Holiday and the free agent signings of Torrey Craig, Bryn Forbes, Bobby Portis, and DJ Augustin has completely changed the team dynamics.
The Bucks’ strengths over the last two years came through the chemistry they had built playing together, which led to their smashing regular season success. Of course, we all know how the story ended in the playoffs.
Six games into this 2020-21 Bucks season, patience is needed as we see a new Bucks roster start to jell. Their up-and-down performance through the first week-and-a-half season has reinforced that.
The blowout victories to the Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls all looked like business as usual for this era of Bucks basketball under head coach Mike Budenholzer. The season opening loss to the Boston Celtics, getting blown out by the New York Knicks and running out of gas on the second night of a back-to-back series with the Heat certainly did not.
This Bucks team we will be watching throughout this regular season will have their fair share of ups and downs, just as we have seen so far. Budenholzer has new players, has shown a greater propensity to experiment different schemes, all of which came after a short runway from the start of training camp, preseason and into the start of the year.
So much of what the Bucks are working towards is a work in progress. After two seasons of finding their stride midway through the regular season before falling apart disastrously in the playoffs, I think taking the natural steps in building up chemistry and winning habits to hit their peak towards the end of the season is what all Bucks fans are looking for at this stage.
This Bucks team is certainly built with that image in mind as they look to vie for an NBA title. With that, though, will come with some sour results along the way.
We’ve obviously seen the flashes of brilliance that shows fleeting glimpses of why this Bucks team could be better to contend in the playoffs. And there’s been plenty of evidence that indicates this is a new look roster needing time to develop together. And that’s all being helped by Antetokounmpo committing to Milwaukee for the next five years, at minimum.
As all Bucks fans celebrate a new year and look forward with this Bucks team, having patience with this year’s squad should be a part of all our resolutions for this season.