Milwaukee Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo Taking The Next Step
The Defensive End
It’s not just the offensive end of the floor where the Greek Freak has excelled, however. The arrival of Monroe and the recent return of Jabari Parker has been like a plague to Milwaukee’s defense in the early going, with the Bucks surrendering 108.7 points per 100 possessions — good for a bottom-five mark in the league and a far cry from the elite 99.3 defensive rating they posted last season.
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But Giannis has done his best to hold things together, holding opponents to only 44.7 percent shooting — only 0.4 percent better than their averages, per NBA.com. That may not seem like much, but it’s the third best defensive field goal percentage on the team and that mark should be a lot worse considering he plays on one of the five worst defenses in the league right now.
On a team where his versatility means he bears most of the defensive responsibility — especially when it comes to covering for the flat-footed Monroe — Antetokounmpo has been playing most of his minutes at power forward.
Despite his lanky frame, he’s holding opponents to an astonishing 35 percent shooting on shots from less than six feet — 21.8 percent less than those opponents would normally shoot from that area of the floor.
The problem has been balancing between helping Monroe out on the interior and recovering back out to the perimeter against stretch bigs and wings, with opponents shooting 27.2 percent better on three-pointers when contested by the Greek Freak.
Even so, the Bucks have surrendered 110.7 points per 100 possessions with their on-the-rise star in the lineup, according to Basketball-Reference. Compare that to their abysmal defensive rating of 116.9 with him on the bench and his defensive value becomes pretty clear.
Learning to cover for Monroe’s defensive flaws will be a work in progress for the entire Bucks team, but Giannis has at least shown his versatility will be a key component in doing so.
Next: Taking The Leap