Milwaukee Bucks: Why Giannis Antetokounmpo is set up for playoff success

For the third consecutive year, the Milwaukee Bucks find themselves competing for a top seed in the East. And just as has been the case over the Mike Budenholzer era, Giannis Antetokounmpo is at the center of the Bucks’ identity.

Over Budenholzer’s watch, the Bucks have catered their entire system towards and around Antetokounmpo and his many wide-ranging strengths. The Bucks have operated under a pace and space mantra that has fully unleashed Antetokounmpo to an even more prolific and efficient paint attacker and has brought the Bucks into the modern age.

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By undergoing such a massive leap both in terms of efficiency and ideologies over what Antetokounmpo had been used to previously and stationing shooters in those patented blue squares, Antetokounmpo had all of the elements to launch him to incredible success and back-to-back MVP campaigns.

However, as we saw from each of the Bucks’ two playoff runs, there was a limit to what both the Bucks and Antetokounmpo under how things were prior to this season.

It was in the Bucks’ run towards the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals against the Toronto Raptors where the dreaded wall built by Toronto proved to be insurmountable for Antetokounmpo to overcome.

The following play provided the blueprint in how impede the driving lanes that Antetokounmpo would regularly slalom around. And at that time in his trajectory, en route to winning his first MVP and going farther than he had ever been in the postseason, Antetokounmpo was bottled up and shied away from dishing it out to open Bucks shooters like Malcolm Brogdon in this example.

Before succumbing to a sprained ankle that prematurely ended his 2019-20 season, the Miami Heat deployed a similar setup with tenacious and versatile defenders to completely neutralize Antetokounmpo out of the Conference Semifinals series.

As we’ve seen this 2020-21 season, the Bucks, Budenholzer and Antetokounmpo have all made a conscious effort not to let the wall bottle up the reigning MVP one more time.

Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is better set up for playoff success

By bringing in more firepower with the additions of Bryn Forbes and Bobby Portis as well as the well-rounded Jrue Holiday, who’s on pace to have his most efficient season of his career, Antetokounmpo now captains a fleet of perimeter marksmen.

Along with that, instituting the dunker spot within the Bucks’ offense, Budenholzer and his coaching staff have maintained their positionless basketball albeit with a new twist. And with Antetokounmpo better equipped to take advantage of the wall of defenders that inevitably come his way on the way to the basket. Check out what happened when a shorthanded Philadelphia 76ers team applied Raptors-esque pressure earlier this month.

Philadelphia goes right from the book as Giannis rolls out of his screen. Joel Embiid rotates back to him, and Mike Scott drifts accordingly to tie him up. As evidenced by the Raptors clip, enticing Giannis off his feet here should’ve promised a contested shot, likely putting the Sixers in transition. However, the Greek Freak has evolved.

Giannis does go up for a layup, but meets a close quarters double that means someone is open in the corner. His strength and length make this unbelievable wraparound pass look ordinary and Bobby Portis drills a rhythm three.

The raging bull pressures Philly’s defense until the very last second. Antetokounmpo’s roll activates the threat of a self-driven aerial attack, which the Sixers would need all hands on deck to stop. The instantaneous adjustment and execution prove that passing is now an intrinsic attribute for Giannis.  This wasn’t a conscious decision, this wasn’t a drawn play – this was instinctive.

While he can clearly dish it in mid-air, he’s even more dangerous when he hasn’t committed to an offensive move of his own. Let’s look at what the 6’11’’ big man can do from the ground.

Giannis getting in transition immediately forces the Wizards on their heels both literally and figuratively. Exploiting a numbers advantage, the defense successfully obstructs him before the other Bucks can catch up, containing the explosive big behind the 3-point line. Washington must still play out the half-court possession, but no longer need to match the Freak in his uptempo element.

Despite having sharpshooters in Bryn Forbes and Pat Connaughton at the ready on either wing, all five Wizards have their eyes on Giannis. Antetokounmpo stands 30 feet from the basket and yet his mere presence garners maximum surveillance from Washington. Donte DiVincenzo exploits the preoccupation with a quick back cut, and the Greek Freak rifles one between defenders for an easy layup.

Proficient passing holds value on its own, but passers need proper timing recognition to actually exploit an advantage. Antetokounmpo summons tremendous finesse and athleticism to will each of these passes to open teammates, but he risks a defensive interception if he’s off by even a second. At this stage in his career, the goal is to supplement his freak-ish physicality and athleticism with new attributes that compromise defensive adjustments. An enhanced passing instinct does just that.

Milwaukee rides against the grain of the modern NBA by centering their offense around a dominant inside force  and it limits them down the stretch. If the big man can distribute the rock to an army of snipers, though, the philosophy could challenge the modern landscape.

Paint passers pose an especially pressing threat for defenses as their initial infiltration awards them complete offensive control and passing access to any spot on the court. If teams emulate Toronto’s aggressive defense against Milwaukee today, the Greek Freak would stay calm and deliver a composed strike to an open sharpshooter and they’ll do the rest.

These kinds coverages were made just for him, but this team was as well. From what we’ve seen of Antetokounmpo so far this season, it seems like the MVP has finally cracked the code, but time will only tell when it matters most.