Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from 2018-19 season opener
By Derek Hryn
3. Offense at its best going through Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Bucks have their fair share of sharpshooting weapons surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo this season, and it was evident the entire night against the Hornets.
It’s simply the same story and a new year for the poor souls who get stuck defending the Greek Freak during games. The sacred combination of length, acceleration and ball-handling that he has allows him to essentially toy with opponents on a nightly basis. He can attack it straight to the bucket, or he can open up several uncontested opportunities for his teammates from outside. Whatever the case may be, Antetokounmpo is the engine that puts points on the board for Milwaukee.
Though he ended the game two assists shy of a powerful triple-double with 25 points, 18 rebounds and eight assists, it was far from his brightest performance. He needs to polish up the turnovers (eight) and ill-advised shot selection in order for him and the Bucks to have the most success in the future.
It’s clear at the moment that this year’s team isn’t shy about shooting the basketball, as they attempted 34 total 3s, and sunk a respectable 41 percent of them. But it’s going to be interesting this season whenever Giannis steps off the floor, especially against tougher opponents.
As solid of a point guard Eric Bledsoe can be, the team doesn’t have anybody who can clear up that same slew of space for their outside shooters.