Giannis Antetokounmpo has reaffirmed his status as one of the most dominant forces in the league with a hot start. Just as impressive as the flashy numbers is the fact that he's producing at this level in just 31.1 minutes per contest. Analyst Marc J. Spears highlighted it on an episode of NBA Today, saying, "He's actually playing two less minutes than he was a season ago. It's actually incredible."
.@MarcJSpears shares his thoughts on Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo after he hit a buzzer-beater against the Pacers 🏀 pic.twitter.com/QffuvBMnO7
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Giannis has been dominant, but Bucks aren't burning him out
Averaging 31.1 minutes per game, Giannis is at his lowest minutes average since 2019-20, the year he won his second MVP while averaging 30.4. Despite the minimal minutes, Giannis is putting up 32.4 points (career-high), 12.6 rebounds (second-best), and 6.3 assists (second-best) per game. He does historic things when he is on the court and still gets plenty of rest. It's almost unheard-of.
To put this into perspective, let's look at other superstars. Luka Doncic is averaging 38.3 minutes, the third-most in the NBA. Kevin Durant, ranked 15th, is at 35.6. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic, two players firmly in the discussion with Giannis for best player in the world, are 18th and 19th. Giannis is all the way down the list at 72nd. That's flat-out insane from one of the NBA's best players.
The approach makes sense. With Giannis doing so much, whether it's scoring, passing, or playing his brand of versatile defense, when he's on the court, it would be easy for him to get burnt out quickly. To prevent that from happening, Doc Rivers is clearly keeping the long-term in mind, wanting to keep his star player's legs fresh down the stretch.
It's not something Giannis is unfamiliar with, as former coach Mike Budenholzer constantly kept the Greek Freak's minutes in the low 30s. The big change this year is that there is no other star to keep the show going when Giannis sits. Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday, and Khris Middleton are gone. Now, the Bucks are relying on everyone, and it's been a mixed bag as they sit with a 5-3 record.
Time will tell if the Milwaukee Bucks can keep this approach going. They've managed to win games thus far, but there have been some flaws. If the lineups start faltering, particularly the all-bench units, Rivers might have no choice but to give the Greek Freak more time. For now, Doc Rivers hopes that the rest of the Bucks roster can hold things down when Giannis Antetokounmpo sits.
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