Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to be the Milwaukee Bucks’ saving grace. They had a dismal 2-8 start, and now, thanks to the Greek’s heroics, have won two games on the trot. Giannis has been instrumental in both, and his performance last night against the Pistons saw him register this season’s highest score, with 59 points. Bucks forward Bobby Portis claims that fans can’t really understand the significance of what Giannis did.
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Things went from bad to worse after their 2-8 start as All-Star Damian Lillard missed games because of concussion protocol. Milwaukee’s next two matchups were against the Raptors and Pistons.
Yes, they were favorable opponents, but the Pistons had already beaten the Bucks earlier this season. They were not to be taken lightly, and Giannis knew that. He exploded against the Detroit side, and that too on the second night of a back-to-back. Portis joined FanDuel TV’s ‘Run It Back’ to shed light on the true significance of Giannis’ performance.
He described how Milwaukee has already played in three back-to-backs, which is among the most during this early stage of the NBA season. Portis, alongside Lillard, didn’t suit up in the Bucks’ win against the Pistons. Khris Middleton hasn’t played at all this season and remains out indefinitely while he recovers from multiple ankle surgeries. So for Giannis to do what he did without any of his usual starters was even more legendary.
He said,
“For the NBA fans that don’t know, back-to-backs are gruesome… to have 59 points on (the second night of) a back-to-back, it was kind of historic.”
"For the NBA fans that don't know, back-to-backs are gruesome… to have 59 points on (the second night of) a back to back, it was kind of historic." @BPortistime on Giannis' performance last night
▶️ https://t.co/3FqptAB1fS@MichelleDBeadle | @TeamLou23 | @ChandlerParsons pic.twitter.com/fjrnzreoQ6
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) November 14, 2024
Giannis took matters into his own hands and ensured that his team wouldn’t lose. In the first quarter, the Greek Freak finished with 22 points, while the Bucks’ point total as a team was 24 points. Out of Milwaukee’s 127 points, Giannis scored 46% of them.
In addition, he willed the team to a win against the Raptors. Toronto has the worst record in the Eastern Conference but has been extremely competitive. Instead of undermining his opponent, Giannis asserted himself early. He finished with 23 points, four rebounds and seven assists on 75% shooting from the field.
Giannis is having the best statistical season of his career. The team’s record may eliminate him from MVP conversations, but he is certainly having an MVP-caliber season.
Bucks’ struggles this season
Milwaukee’s struggles have shocked the entire NBA. Entering this season, the Bucks were presumptively one of the contenders to potentially come out of the East. However, they’ve looked bad on both ends of the basketball and are far from a championship contender.
Following their first set of consecutive wins for the season, Milwaukee now holds a 4-8 record. They are currently the 12th seed in the conference. However, due to the rest of the East’s struggles, they are only one game behind the Bulls, who are the sixth seed.
There are major areas that need to be addressed before the Bucks can string together victories. Milwaukee is currently the 21st-ranked offense while housing the league’s leading scorer. Defensively, they’re middle of the pack ranked 16th.
The team needs to improve its perimeter defense. They elect to play drop coverage on defense and, due to the lack of hustle by the guards fighting over screens, opposing teams are receiving open three-point opportunities. Opposing teams are shooting 38.1% from three-point range against the Bucks, which is the third-highest of any team.
The Bucks don’t have much roster flexibility being a second apron team. That leaves a change in defensive philosophy as one of the last options the team has. The championship window for the Bucks is now or never and they need to make the changes to capitalize on it.
