3 reasons why Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks are underrated
By Luke Duffy
2. Antetokounmpo improving will only make the Bucks better
Antetokounmpo getting better is a terrifying prospect, but one we know to be true because of how his career has gone so far. Players max out their potential at some point, but even in the last couple of years, we’ve seen Antetokounmpo improve his free-throw shooting (especially in big game situations), while his 3-point shooting has held steady as well.
That bodes well for the Bucks, and if not for the untimely injury to Middleton last season, they could’ve defended their crown. That might’ve contributed to both Antetokounmpo and the Bucks being underrated. Take Marcus Smart winning the Defensive Player of the Year award. If you could choose one to anchor your defense for an entire season, who would you choose? Exactly.
Somehow, despite staying with the team that drafted him and delivering a championship, as well as many personal accolades, Antetokounmpo is not receiving the love that he should. He is not being slighted either, like James or even Stephen Curry after their own setbacks, but the lack of any talk at all is arguably more frustrating.
Is it because Milwaukee is a small market? Is it because he’s European and (say it quietly…), alongside Jokic and Luka Doncic, among the best players in the league, and that’s hard for fans on that side of the water to accept? Antetokounmpo has multiple MVPs left in him, a jump shot that can improve, and all the motivation to get his personal trophies back that he needs. That’s scary.