Milwaukee Bucks: 2015-16 Season Outlook
Three Key Storylines (cont.)
2. How Long Before Jabari Parker And The Greek Freak Truly Emerge?
In his 25 games as a rookie, Jabari Parker started in every one and averaged 12.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 29.5 minutes per game. Though he only converted 25 percent of his three-point attempts, he was still shooting 49 percent from the floor and given Andrew Wiggins‘ slow start to the season, Parker was the frontrunner in the ROY race until his ACL tear.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, on the other hand, upped his production from 6.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game as a rookie to 12.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists in his second season. Though he made an anemic 15.9 percent of this threes, the Greek Freak also shot 49 percent from the floor, emerging as one of the most promising two-way terrors in the NBA.
Seriously though, the Bucks are the team to watch this year.
— Josh Eberley 🇨🇦 (@JoshEberley) September 6, 2015
MCW - Middleton - Parker - Antetokounmpo - Monroe is going to be so much fun.
With these two 20-year-olds heading into formative seasons in 2015-16, what can we expect from the future of Milwaukee Bucks basketball?
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In the case of Parker, expectations shouldn’t be particularly high. Though he’s still got a promising career ahead of him as a Carmelo Anthony-lite type, it shouldn’t be forgotten that he’s coming off an ACL injury. For Bucks fans, seeing him make it through an 82-game season should take precedence over any expectations on the stat sheet.
As for Antetokounmpo, this could be the season we see him truly break out. The addition of Monroe will prevent him from fully asserting himself on offense, but the Greek Freak has the length to make a strong impact on both ends of the floor.
Maybe we’re still one year away from that vintage breakout year, but with Parker returning and the Greek Freak’s trajectory going nowhere but up, Bucks fans have a lot to look forward to with their youngest cornerstones.
Next: Storyline: Is MCW Any Good?