The Milwaukee Bucks, pegged by many as one of the foremost championship favorites after trading for Damian Lillard, have endured a bit of a rocky start to the 2023-24 season. The Bucks' offense has looked confused at times, while their defense, routinely ranking among the best in the NBA under the tutelage of former head coach Mike Budenholzer, has fallen off a cliff. But even with Giannis Antetokounmpo and company still figuring out Adrian Griffin's system on both ends of the court, the Bucks are still able to pull out huge victories thanks to their stars' individual brilliance.
Against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night, Antetokounmpo got whatever he wanted, both on offense and on defense. In addition to tallying 36 points, 12 rebounds, one steal, and two blocks, Antetokounmpo altered plenty of shots late in the game — including a stout defensive stand in which the Bucks star forced a missed layup off a run-out from Dorian Finney-Smith — leading to some lofty praise from head coach Adrian Griffin after the game.
“He's phenomenal. He's a winner. Those are winning plays,” Griffin raved about Giannis Antetokounmpo in his postgame presser, via Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
The Bucks had enough trust in Antetokounmpo's rim protection late in the game that they felt confident in taking out Brook Lopez, exchanging some paint protection for more mobility on the perimeter. And it paid off. On one possession late in the game, the Nets found themselves on a 4 on 3 situation, but the Greek Freak's mere presence prevented the Nets from getting a high-percentage shot off from the interior.
During their season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers, it was Damian Lillard who took the Bucks over the finish line. Against the New York Knicks during their first group stage game of the NBA In-Season Tournament, Lillard took control of the offense late in the game and led them to victory once more. But on Monday night, it was Giannis Antetokounmpo's turn to show what makes the Bucks such an unstoppable team when everything starts to click.
The Bucks should be able to keep it rolling when they take on the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night.