It’s difficult to discern just what went wrong for the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the 2022-23 NBA Playoffs.
Sure, with Giannis Antetokounmpo playing a mere total of 91 minutes across the five games against the Heat due to a lower back injury suffered in Game 1, it’s easy to point in his direction.
However, after a regular season that saw the Bucks finish with a 58-24 record to capture the number one seed in the East, it’s disappointing nonetheless to have little to show for it.
With that said, let’s evaluate just how each key player performed throughout the 2022-23 NBA regular season and the five playoff matchups.
Giannis Antetokounmpo: A-
There’s little to be critiqued about Giannis Antetokounmpo’s regular season campaign. The 28-year-old turned in nightly numbers of 31.1 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 5.7 assists to lead the way. Perhaps most impressive, The Greek Freak may have had his best season to date (yes, even better than his two MVP seasons).
Antetokounmpo saw his percentages dip from the field and free throw line, as well as a drop in rebounding from his 2019-20 MVP campaign. However, this was rectified by a near two-point increase in nightly scoring.
The only reason I elected to give Giannis an A-, as opposed to a higher A, is for the 19 games missed on the season and the back injury that cost him valuable playoff minutes.
While he remained spectacular in games played, the next step for him is reaching the 70 games played mark. Plus, it’s entirely clear that the Bucks need a healthy Giannis to make it out of round one.