Milwaukee Bucks: 3 players with everything to prove in the NBA playoffs
By Duncan Smith
Milwaukee Bucks with something to prove in the NBA playoffs: Giannis Antetokounmpo
It’s not every day that the defending two-time NBA MVP has something to prove, but that’s the case for Giannis Antetokounmpo. His numbers have dipped a bit from last season’s averages of 29.5 points, 13.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists to this season’s averages of 28.4 points and 11.1 rebounds, although his assists have ticked up to 5.9 per game.
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Giannis had his tremendous season last year only to get clamped by Bam Adebayo of the Heat in the playoffs last season. Across the board, the Bucks weren’t themselves once they arrived in the NBA bubble, but at least in the second round, part of that was a result of the Heat simply being tuned in and outstanding.
And for that matter, the Heat may have been a particularly bad matchup even if the Bucks were at the peak of their powers.
A player like Giannis Antetokounmpo should transcend matchups, however. If he’s to be considered one of the best couple of players in the league, he can’t get swallowed up the way he did against the Heat in last season’s NBA playoffs.
He’s going to be a Buck for a very long time thanks to signing a max extension earlier this season, but the chatter about whether he should be better won’t stop until he at least makes it to the Eastern Conference Finals. For reasons of legacy and more, there’s no time like the present for Giannis.