Milwaukee Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo learning new ways to win

The Milwaukee Bucks are a flawed team that is winning games because their superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is giving his team whatever it needs to win.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is having a breakout season for the Milwaukee Bucks, ascending from “star” to “superstar” as the league struggles to stop him. The 6’11” forward is a two-way force with the length, strength and athleticism to overpower opponents and the skill to keep his teammates involved.

The problem for Antetokounmpo is that the team he plays on is flawed. From injury issues thinning the frontcourt, to trades and regressions leaving a hole at center, to a constant rotation to fill the backup wing roles, this team has weaknesses that other teams are exploiting to knock them down.

This means that the Bucks’ superstar cannot merely go out and play every night, but instead must adapt and contribute to winning in a variety of ways. For the Bucks to be successful, they have needed and will need Antetokounmpo to hold the line in different ways from game to game.

Every night Milwaukee needs a dominant scorer, someone to eat up possessions and simply put up points. While Eric Bledsoe and Khris Middleton are both talented offensive players, neither one is the high-usage star who would take that burden (perhaps Jabari Parker can be when he returns). The Bucks need Antetokounmpo to score every game.

He has stepped up to the plate in that area, scoring 20 points or more in 39 of 41 games this season, including 28 straight through all of November and December. He has scored more than 30 points 14 times, something he had done just 15 times in his entire career before this year. The “Greek Freak” ranks second in the league in scoring at 28.3 points per game, an increase of 5.4 points over last season.

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At center, the Bucks are struggling to find consistent contributions that increase their ceiling as a team. Thon Maker has taken a step back in his second season after a strong finish to his rookie campaign. Greg Monroe was traded to the Phoenix Suns in the Eric Bledsoe deal. John Henson has been fine, but his inability to shoot constricts the defense into the paint, where Antetokounmpo is at his best.

Antetokounmpo has answered the call in a number of ways. At times that’s attacking the glass, as he did in a victory over the Washington Wizards on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, pulling in a career-high 20 rebounds. Overall he is averaging 10.1 rebounds per game, the best mark of his career and 10th-best in the NBA.

He has also stepped up as the literal center at times, filling in for 91 non-garbage-time possessions thus far this season, per Cleaning the Glass. While the Bucks are -8.4 overall in those minutes, that may be more of a function of Khris Middleton playing the 4 alongside him — lineups where Middleton plays the 4 are -11.5 in 905 possessions. When Jabari Parker returns, deploying Antetokounmpo at center could be a more successful venture.

Not content to simply be the team’s best scorer and rebounder, the young star is also its best passer. Sometimes that manifests itself on a creative level, such as Monday when Antetokounmpo used some sort of sixth sense — and a lot of flair — to deliver the ball to Khris Middleton on the fast break.

https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/953014393419149312

It isn’t just flashy passes either. Antetokounmpo again leads his team in assists for the second straight season, despite standing 6’11” and playing most of his minutes at the 4. His court awareness and long arms allow him to get passes to his open teammates no matter the defenders around him. Among players 6’11”, only DeMarcus Cousins has more assists than Antetokounmpo’s 186 on the season.

On defense, the Greek Freak makes his impact as well, the complete circle of on-court impact. He again ranks in the top-20 in the league in steals and blocks per game. Despite being his team’s primary offensive engine, he ranks second on the team in defensive Real-Plus Minus, behind just John Henson.

It would be wrong to suggest that Giannis Antetokounmpo is simply filling up the box score without helping his team win. When he is on the floor his team is better, and individually almost every player in the rotation plays better.

Overall the Bucks’ superstar is filling whatever role necessary. He is one of the league’s best scorers, its most naturally-gifted rebounders and its most skilled passers. Defensively his length and athleticism allow him to make an impact no matter where he is on the floor.

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With the Bucks sitting at 23-20 and right in the heart of the Eastern Conference playoff picture, it’s been Antetokounmpo pushing them to wins. His impact is unique and far-reaching, and his ability to do whatever his team needs may be the difference in disappointment and success as the playoffs loom ever closer.