The Milwaukee Bucks haven’t always been a dominant force in the NBA. That all changed in 2013 when with the 15th pick in the NBA draft they selected a skinny kid from Greece named Giannis Antetokounmpo. Much was unknown about Giannis, but there was clearly a plan in place for what he could become. I don’t think the front office, fans, coaches, and teammates of him knew he’d get to the level he is at.
During his rookie season, the Bucks finished last in the Eastern Conference with Giannis being just 6-foot-9 and weighing in at 205lbs. In the following nine seasons, the Bucks missed the playoffs just once, clinched the one seed on three occasions, and achieved the ultimate goal of winning an NBA championship in 2021.
Giannis Antetokounmpo now stands 7-foot tall and weighs 243 lbs. His transformation to becoming a two-time MVP and DPOY has led the Bucks to this success. However, he couldn’t do it all alone. During his time in Milwaukee, there have been some outstanding teammates that helped him achieve it all for the Milwaukee faithful. Here is a look at the 10 best teammates of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s time with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Ranking Giannis Antetokounmpo’s best teammates
10 – Jabari Parker
Now this may be a little bit of a ‘what could have been’ pick, but it would be a disservice to Jabari to say he was not a good player during his time in Milwaukee. He was drafted with the second overall pick the year after Giannis Antetokounmpo and the two would spend four seasons together.
Unfortunately, Parker’s career has been hampered by injuries. He was intended to be the superstar on the team, but two ACL tears would sadly hold him back from ever reaching his full potential. In 183 games he averaged 15.3 points on .490 shooting and .352 from three.
Since his departure in 2018, he has since bounced around teams and is currently a free agent. Giannis went from strength to strength and had injuries not played its part they could have been one of the league’s best duos.
Jabari was a serious talent and was a big part of Giannis and the Bucks kicking off their road to success back in the mid-2010s. Had he remained healthy he could have been at the top of this list.
9 – Donte DiVincenzo
The “Big Ragu” was a fan favorite during his three and a bit years on the Bucks. He is a strong 3-and-D guard that was a huge part of the Milwaukee Bucks’ success. In his first two seasons (2018/19 & 2019/20) the Bucks finished as the one seed in the East, and then in his final season, he started 66 games before missing most of the playoffs due to injury.
He was a very impactful player alongside both Eric Bledsoe and Jrue Holiday in the backcourt, and he always brought effort on both sides of the ball. In his three seasons, he averaged nine points, five rebounds, and 2.5 assists with a steal.
When Giannis Antetokounmpo continued to grow, DiVincenzo was the perfect piece to play alongside him. An unselfish guard that was a perimeter threat shooting .350 from deep and bringing intensity on some great defensive teams.
A very talented player that unfortunately wasn’t able to take part in the championship playoff run. He had a great impact in Milwaukee and was a huge part of the success. He was more than deserving of the money he was paid after signing a very lucrative deal with the New York Knicks in NBA Free Agency this off-season.
8 – P.J. Tucker
P.J. Tucker was the piece that helped the Bucks win it all in 2021. He was a veteran piece that many title-winning teams have tried to add, given his pedigree as a lockdown wing that can hit shots from deep. He played just 20 games in the regular season, but his impact will never be forgotten.
He averaged a career-low in both the playoffs and regular season and didn’t even shoot the ball brilliantly when it came down to it. However, his role was to let Jrue Holiday, Khris Midleton, and Giannis Antetokounmpo do the job offensively so he could take on the opposition’s best player.
In the series with the Brooklyn Nets, he made Kevin Durant earn every single bucket. KD was phenomenal, but you could see Tucker never stopped being physical with him, and this allowed the other Bucks players to use their energy offensively, knowing that Tucker would bring it all defensively.
At 35, his impact on the team was incredible, and he earned himself that ring; you could tell how happy he was during the parade. He has since played for East rivals in the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers but hasn’t had quite the same level of success.
A serious hand in bringing a title back to Milwaukee and P.J. Tucker may well be the most important acquisition in Bucks history.
7 – Pat Connaughton
Planet Pat has been a part of the Bucks since 2018 and has been a key player off the bench in his five seasons here. He’s a wing that can shoot efficiently whilst providing energy on the defensive end yet again helped the Bucks in winning a title.
Pat Connaughton was a big part of the ‘bench mob’ and whether he was on the court or not he has always been vocal and energetic in everything he does. Averaging 7.3 points on .440 shooting has aided Giannis Antetokounmpo in his career, providing spacing for when he drives to the basket, knowing that there’s a guy like Cinnaughton on the perimeter that can hit his shot.
He is very much a do-it-all wing, and he is one of the first off the bench, replacing Middleton and still providing the team with efficient play and allowing other players to go off and he provided an extra push of energy.
There have been rumors recently over whether Pat could be a piece on the move as the Bucks look to win another title in the Giannis era. That being said, he has been a great asset to the Bucks and Milwaukee and a fantastic teammate of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
6 – Eric Bledsoe
Some may think Eric Bledsoe is too high on the rankings, but I think many forget as to how good he was and how important he was in the Bucks getting in a position to win. Yes, his playoff struggles are what he was mostly remembered for, but before the NBA Bubble in the 2019-20 season, after 60 games, the Bucks sat on a record of 52-8.
The playoffs were the issue for Bledsoe. Shooting .254 from deep is very poor, and overall his game never seemed to translate from the regular season to the postseason. Had he got his act together, the Bucks could have won multiple championships, and the trade to get Jrue Holiday may have never happened.
Of course, he went to New Orleans in that trade, moved on to the Clippers and since last year has been playing for the Shanghai Sharks out in China. A shame for someone that was so integral for the Bucks to be out of the league three years on
As I mentioned at the beginning, this may seem too high, but you can’t deny he was a huge part of the Bucks and was a big part of the team as Giannis Antetokounmpo continued to rise to be the best player in the world.
5 – Bobby Portis
Now, the Mayor of Milwaukee. The biggest bench piece of the Milwaukee Bucks in the last three seasons and the direct replacement for when Giannis Antetokounmpo heads to the bench. His energy and tenacity off the bench are unmatched, and he goes full-on no matter what.
This past season he finished 10th in double-doubles league-wide according to Stat Muse. That’s an absolutely ridiculous stat when all the players above him are superstars or starters. Portis doing this off the bench is why he is such a great teammate of Giannis’. They can play alongside each other well, or Portis can come in for Giannis and still bring the same energy on the glass.
We all know of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s monster Game 6 performance against the Phoenix Suns in the 2021 NBA Finals, but Portis scored 16 off the bench when others on the team were struggling, and that was integral in closing out the playoffs.
A 13.1 point scorer off the bench with 8.6 assists is exactly what the Bucks need when Giannis is off the court, and this is why Portis is so high up the list. He is also a solid 40 percent shooter from behind the arc and his arrival in 2020 was just the start of the title run.
An excellent player that is still providing great numbers off the bench for the Bucks. He will forever be the Mayor of Milwaukee to the Bucks fans.
4 – Malcolm Brogdon
We have already had the Mayor, but next up is the President. In his three seasons alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, they made the playoffs in all of them. This was the start of Giannis’ ascendance to All-Star level, and Brogdon was a huge part of that.
Selected in the second round of the 2016 draft, he went on to be so impressive he picked up the Rookie of the Year trophy, having played such an important role on the Bucks. His ability to be a solid shooter, facilitator, and strong defender has led to his impressive NBA career so far.
One of the most memorable Brogdon moments in a Bucks jersey was his reverse dunk on LeBron James. Using the screen to burst past the King before slamming it on his head. That team with Giannis and Jabari was beginning to make strides and had they stayed together could have been a real exciting team to see grow.
A 12.8 point per game scorer for the Bucks on 40 percent 3-point shooting during his time in Milwaukee led to him moving on to the Indiana Pacers as their lead guard before winning the Sixth Man of the Year award with the Boston Celtics.
Brogdon was a huge piece for the Bucks as they started to ascend their way up the Eastern Conference rankings and his composure is a huge asset to any team he plays on.
3 – Brook Lopez
Brook Lopez arrived in Milwaukee as an old-fashioned, back-to-basket type scorer that played mainly in the post. He still remains the Brooklyn Nets’ all-time leading scorer but the transformation he made when on the Milwaukee Bucks is phenomenal. He may be the complete opposite player to when he started.
Lopez still has those fundamental big-man skills, playing in the low post and backing down defenders to score the ball. Now he is a perimeter scorer, shooting .351 from deep during his Milwaukee career. Add to that his most recent selection to the All-Defensive First Team, and he is the perfect fit alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo with his ability to be able to stretch the floor.
He was integral to the 2021 title-winning team and creates the best defensive frontcourt in the game with their size and ability to clog the paint. He may only average 5.4 rebounds in Milwaukee, but that is because Giannis’ athleticism tends to mean he dominates the glass more.
Lopez is a huge piece for the Bucks and for Giannis as they complement each other so well. This offseason he did sign a massive two-year extension so we get to see more of the stretch big.
2 – Jrue Holiday
Widely regarded as one of the best defenders in the NBA, the addition of Jrue Holiday with Bledsoe going the other way prior to the 2020-21 season really was the final piece in order to get over the final hurdle and win it all. His ability to play lockdown defense and lower the defensive workload for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton was essential to winning the title.
An impressive 18.5 points and 6.8 assists per game have really helped cement the Bucks as one of the best teams in the league. He also allows Giannis to play off the ball in the offense as he brings it up the court and can be the lead ball handler which helps change the looks.
His time with the Bucks may be slightly overshadowed by his recent struggles in the postseason and suggestions that he should be traded should the Bucks look to make another title run.
These recent shooting struggles in the postseason should not take away from how important he was to the Bucks in winning that title. Alongside Giannis, they provide a great defensive duo that can guard at any position and have been a real asset to the Bucks.
1 – Khris Middleton
For me, this was a simple answer. Khris Middleton arrived in Milwaukee from Detroit in Giannis Antetokounmpo’s rookie season, and despite a certain former NBA player arguing over which one is Batman and which is Robin, they are a brilliant duo that works exceptionally well together.
They have been the cornerstone of the Bucks’ success and growth as a franchise. Middleton complements Giannis perfectly with his ability to create looks for himself and play solid defense and facilitate when needed.
His Bucks career in recent years has slightly been hampered by injury and prevented the Bucks from potentially winning another title. However, his 17.5 points on 45 percent shooting in his 10 years here can not go unnoticed. Add to that three All-Star appearances, and he really has been integral to the Bucks.
For me, Middleton is easily the best teammate that Giannis has played with. They complement each other so well and have been through it all together from the bottom seed of the conference to NBA champions. Middleton deserved his new deal, and if he stays healthy, we may see the two of them lifting the Larry O’Brien trophy once again in 2024.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis as the NBA season edges ever closer.