3 Takeaways from Milwaukee Bucks win over Cleveland Cavaliers: Giannis is a little rusty
This takeaway is far from any panic or negativity, but Giannis Antetokounmpo is just two games back from missing a week due to knee soreness and he is ramping back up. That said, facing John Collins, Clint Capela and Evan Mobely coming off a week missed with a knee injury is an absolute gauntlet for anyone to go against.
However, there are a few reasons this stands out as a takeaway, the easiest thing to look at is the box score of the last two games, since returning Giannis is 14-of-39 on field goals, 35.9 percent, far below the efficiency we’ve come to expect from Giannis and well below the 51.1 percent he’s shooting on field goals this season. The other box score standout that makes me believe Giannis is rusty is the fact that he has missed seven free throws in each of the last two games, on 18 and 11 free throws respectively. Free throws were an aspect of Giannis’ game that seemed to be improved going back to the Eurobasket competition this past summer, Giannis still needs more efficiency at the line.
That said, I do believe Giannis is shaking off some of the rust and will be back to his usual, freakish, league-dominating self in no time, thanks in part to finishing just two assists shy of a triple double. Early in the second half Giannis got the ball in transition and attacked three flat footed Cavaliers back on defense, he needed just two steps from the top of the key to get around the middle defender to the hoop for a lay-up. Also, pictured above, Giannis at one point took a baseline drive right into the chest of Evan Mobley and finished an and-one lay-in. The rust is coming off.