Milwaukee Bucks: 3 stats that should provide optimism early in the season
Stat No. 3 – Giannis Antetokounmpo has a career-best assist to turnover ratio with the Milwaukee Bucks this season
One other reason people should remain optimistic about the Bucks is that Giannis is still playing like Giannis. The Greek Freak has played in every game for the Bucks so far and is averaging 29.1 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per 36 minutes.
It looks like Giannis has evolved even more as a playmaker this year, and he has been making smarter, quicker decisions on his drives. His assist per game average of six is the highest of his career, and he is only averaging three turnovers per game, his fewest since 2017. His assist to turnover ratio of 2.0 is his best ever, and that ratio has improved in back-to-back seasons. Giannis’ assist percentage on drives has also increased every year since 2017, going from 7.1 percent back then to now 13.1 percent this year.
One of the most impressive improvements Giannis has made on his drives the past few years has been his ability to limit offensive fouls. In 2018-19 (his first MVP season), Giannis was committing 0.78 charges per 100 possessions. The next year, that number rose to 0.88. Last year, it dropped to 0.58, and this year it is at 0.12. Giannis is committing offensive fouls about 1/6th as often as he was 3 years ago, and in total has only one offensive foul in 12 games this season.
Everyone knows what Giannis can do as a scorer, but what he is doing as a playmaker so far this year should provide a lot of optimism. He seems to be processing the game better and playing smarter than ever before. With Middleton missing time and starting point guard Jrue Holiday also sidelined during part of the year, Antetokounmpo’s ball-handling duties having increased, and he will continue to see more time with it.
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Even with the somewhat slow start, there are several reasons to be optimistic about the Bucks. Giannis is generating a ton of open looks and making good decisions, and Allen has emerged as an elite shooter. Once they finally get back to being at full strength, the Bucks should start to look like a championship team again.