Milwaukee Bucks: Antetokounmpo Can Be A Triple-Double Machine
The Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo is primed to have a career season. His triple-double count will be something to keep an eye on.
The Milwaukee Bucks have been one of the most fun teams to watch ever since drafting Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2013. Despite making the playoffs only once since drafting the 21-year-old out of Greece, watching a player at 6’11” with all of the tools Antetokounmpo has makes for entertaining basketball.
Rewind back to mid-July, the Bucks were being looked at as a team that could potentially make the playoff bracket in the East once again. Those hopes took a massive hit when it was announced that starting shooting guard Khris Middleton suffered a left hamstring injury that would keep him out until sometime after the All-Star break. If the Bucks have no chance of making the postseason, it will be likely they decide to put Middleton on the shelf for the entire season.
While the wins may not pour in as expected, Antetokounmpo is primed to have a career-year. Head coach Jason Kidd experimented in the last chunk of the 2015-16 schedule by featuring Antetokounmpo at point guard. It was deemed successful, and he caused matchup problems for pretty much any opponent in their way.
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There was one point where Antetokounmpo recorded five triple-doubles in a six-week span once he was moved to point guard. If anything can be taken from it, it’s that NBA fans should get used to seeing him do that regularly this season.
Antetokounmpo took a step offensively last season, and while he continues to struggle finding his outside shot, his comfortability with handling the ball makes him a difficult guard in the half court because with a sweep-through and one dribble, he can go from beyond the three-point arc, to slamming down a dunk on the opposing center.
In the open floor, it’s another story. The simple fact that Antetokounmpo can go from the opposite free throw line to the rim in just two dribbles can attest for the weapon that he is on the fast break.
Even with his great size, he wasn’t always a great rebounder. His rookie season in 2013-14, Antetokounmpo averaged just 4.4 per game. Since then, he’s steadily improved from averaging 6.7 in 2014-15 to 7.7 last season. As he continues to become the focal point of this team, expectations will continue to rise. It won’t be surprising if he increases that average to around the nine rebounds per game mark.
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The one area that Antetokounmpo hasn’t blossomed is in garnering assists. It’s expected for an 18-year-old to have difficulty adjusting to the speed of the NBA game right from the start. Similarly to the other departments that he has improved in, Antetokounmpo has gone from averaging 1.9 assists his rookie year to 4.3 last season.
Middleton was the team’s only respectable marksman from three, so with his injury, the Bucks will struggle mightily with stretching defenses. That also may come into play with Antetokounmpo racking up triple-doubles. His ability to penetrate the heart of the defense will leave almost everyone on the perimeter with an open opportunity. If they can knock them down at an efficient rate, it’ll bode well for both the team and Antetokounmpo’s stats.
The majority of triple-double talk is dominated by Oklahoma City‘s Russell Westbrook. After all, he had 18 of them last season, tying Magic Johnson‘s record from 1981-82. Antetokounmpo may not reach 18, but 15 is certainly a comfortable projection with his usage rate expected to spike up to the 30 percent range.
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Who knows, maybe Antetokounmpo can post similar numbers to what Westbrook did with triple-doubles and it lifts Milwaukee into the playoff conversation. Folks have been watching this young man grow into a potential superstar, and eyes will remain on him as he leads the Bucks this season.