The Milwaukee Bucks continue to go through their hot and cold stretches this NBA season.
Their impressive stretches serve as a reminder of what their true identity is. One example is their recent run that included nine wins in 12 games, featuring a victory over Utah.
When Giannis Antetokounmpo was on the floor, the Utah Jazz were outmatched in every way. He played all of the first and third quarters, and the Bucks outscored Utah by a total of 22 points. Each time he sat out, the Jazz made a series of runs that made the game a lot closer than it should have ever been during certain points. It exposes a clear weakness that this team has, and it’s something that you’ve surely heard all season long. They’re not a deep team.
Luckily for Milwaukee, Giannis hides many of their weaknesses on the offensive and defensive end. His physical nature still makes him the biggest cheat code in the game. The Milwaukee Bucks are clearly at their best when he’s aggressive and in attack mode.
There are many teams like the Jazz who don’t have the personnel to stop Giannis down low. They are forced to converge on him, and that opens the floor for everyone else to make shots. In this game, nobody benefited more than Khris Middleton, who scored 22 points on 10-of-13 shooting. Giannis opens the game up so much for everyone else.
The Milwaukee Bucks need to unleash the Greek Freak
This all brings me to my next question: why don’t they fully unleash the Greek Freak? Even more so than they already are. We’re talking about a player who is averaging over 30 points per game while shooting over 60 percent from the field. Keep in mind that he is the only player in league history to reach those numbers.
Not even Shaquille O’Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Wilt Chamberlain have been able to do the same. That is the definition of dominance. That is the biggest sign that all the teams are completely helpless when facing him.
The numbers he is producing are truly historic. The numbers suggest that they are feeding the ball to him often. He currently ranks sixth in field goal attempts per game in the NBA this season. It would make sense to have a more balanced approach when you have a long list of players that can step on offense.
Damian Lillard is a huge part of their offense, and he needs to be heavily involved in order for them to reach their full potential. But this writer believes they are only doing the rest of their opponents a favor when the most physically intimidating player is not looking to score time and time again.
There are certain circumstances when an all-time great player reaches their career marks, and that’s when their team really needs it. They’re not looking to do it out of selfishness but out of necessity. Take, for example, when Shaq averaged over 21 field goal attempts during his legendary 2000 MVP season. His dominating presence made the Los Angeles Lakers such a dangerous team.
They also weren’t necessarily known for their depth during that time. Let’s not forget that he hit those numbers while having a gunner in Kobe Bryant on the team. Then there was Kareem in his early days with the Milwaukee Bucks when he was averaging as many as 24 field goal attempts per game. When you have the greatest offensive weapon in the game, why not use it to the fullest extent?
We are operating under the impression that the Milwaukee Bucks aren’t going to make any moves prior to the trade deadline and that they’re going to stick with what they have. If they had more pieces, then there would be no reason for Giannis to take over 22 or 23 shots per contest.
That is not their current situation. They’re going to need him to be as active as he’s ever been if they want to put themselves in the best position to win a championship. Good things always seem to happen when he has the ball in his hands, and that is where it needs to be the majority of the time.
This is their chance of reaching a higher playoff seed, and to ride this momentum as we draw closer to the All-Star break. They might not have the depth that the Cavaliers, Celtics or the Knicks have. But there is one clear advantage that the Bucks do have over all of them. Giannis Antetounkompo is easily the best player in the Eastern Conference, and it’s not even close. Why not use this advantage to the fullest?
Yes, it’s true that they never needed him to hit numbers that only Kobe Bryant or James Harden have reached since the turn of the 21st century. If they’re truly serious about winning a title this year, Giannis has to make history. This is the year for him to do it. No one can stop him. So let him cook. It wasn’t necessary against a team like the Utah Jazz. But it’s something that Milwaukee needs to seriously consider as the season progresses.