Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo masks major problem with 'fortunate' heroics vs. Nets

Despite Giannis Antetokounmpo's incredible defense in the Bucks' win vs. the Nets, they still have a huge problem in their midst.

There were concerns from some pundits that the Milwaukee Bucks would have troubles on the defensive end of the court after they traded away Jrue Holiday in the Damian Lillard deal. Holiday, after all, enabled the Bucks' stifling drop coverage scheme by going over screens and funneling ball-handlers towards Brook Lopez and Giannis Antetokounmpo, two shot-blockers awaiting would-be scorers in the paint.

Thankfully for the Bucks, their leaky defense did not cost them on Monday night, as they outlasted the Brooklyn Nets in a shootout that ended in a 129-125 score line in favor of Milwaukee. In the end, it was Antetokounmpo who was “phenomenal” for the Bucks defensively; he was an intimidating presence as a small-ball five, and he also forced a missed layup from Dorian Finney-Smith that could have tied the game late in the fourth.

“I was fortunate to be in the right spot down the stretch and be able to get those blocks. When I’m locked in I know I can impact the game defensively too,” Antetokounmpo said after the Bucks' win, per Associated Press via ESPN.

Giannis Antetokounmpo may be seeing upticks in his defensive stats, a positive trend moving forward in the aftermath of a concerning 2022-23 season in this department. New head coach Adrian Griffin is also deploying the Greek Freak as a “small-ball” five in greater doses, giving the team more mobility on the perimeter during crunch time.

But overall, to start the 2023-24 season, the Bucks have been downright horrendous on defense. They are currently 24th in the league in defensive rating, which is a far cry from their level in years past. Just last season, with Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez forming the spine of their defense, the Bucks ranked fourth in the league in the same metric.

Now, the Bucks have implored Adrian Griffin to deploy more of the drop coverage they've flourished with over the years, but it's hard to see it being as effective as it was with Holiday as the primary point-of-attack defender. Damian Lillard isn't as adept as moving over screens, and he's been on the receiving end of some fiery criticism regarding his body of work on that end of the floor.

Perhaps the Bucks can start Jae Crowder, a more defensively-inclined player, instead of Malik Beasley to at least help shore up their resistance at the point of attack.