Giannis Antetokounmpo has been arguably the NBA's greatest defender for years now, but he owns just one Defensive Player of the Year honor. In ESPN's new Summer Forecast panel, Giannis comes in at fourth on the DPOY finalist rankings for next year. Yet, analyst Michael C. Wright briefly highlighted how Milwaukee's addition of Myles Turner could help Giannis reintroduce himself defensively.
"Keep an eye on how Milwaukee's offseason addition of Myles Turner might free up Antetokounmpo to unleash havoc on opposing offenses."
Turner could be the key to helping Giannis snag his second career Defensive Player of the Year honor.
Antetokounmpo, Turner should be a force to be reckoned with
How did Giannis win DPOY in 2019-20? He had a cache of strong perimeter defenders around him, including Eric Bledsoe, Wesley Matthews, and Donte DiVincenzo, among others, but he also had a towering big man protecting the interior in Brook Lopez. In those days, Lopez's dominance close to the hoop allowed Giannis to roam more and be everywhere defensively, strengthening his case.
In recent years, not only has Milwaukee lacked reliable perimeter defenders, but Lopez has also taken a step back with age. He still contested plenty of shots, but he wasn't the same formidable force that he was a few short years ago. This weakened Milwaukee's defense and took significant spotlight off of Giannis, who was still a dominant presence on that end but was put in awkward positions at times to help cover for Lopez.
With Turner, one of the NBA's most versatile defenders at the center spot, Giannis could get back to being his best defensively. Rather than constantly having to lurk near the hoop to support Lopez if needed, the Greek Freak can now roam wherever he pleases, which is what he does best, as Wright said for ESPN.
Beyond just Turner's presence, the Milwaukee Bucks should be a better team defensively than they have been in the past couple of years. While they might not be well-known defenders yet, players like Kevin Porter Jr., Ryan Rollins, AJ Green, and Gary Trent Jr. are all pests on that end. Kyle Kuzma, as poor as he was offensively, was a nice defender in Milwaukee and could be their go-to wing defender.
Giannis Antetokounmpo's path to his second Defensive Player of the Year won't be easy. He faces stiff competition, including Victor Wembanyama, Evan Mobley, and Chet Holmgren, who are ahead of him on ESPN's poll. Just because Milwaukee's defense should be better doesn't mean it's a given. Yet, having Myles Turner could certainly give him a jolt on that end.
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