Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the league's top talents. The forward is in the midst of a career year and has a good chance of winning the Most Valuable Player award.
Antetokounmpo is an excellent shooter and guarding him is no easy task. In fact, he thinks defenders are afraid of him in the paint.
Via Bucks beat writer Kane Pitman on Twitter:
Giannis said he expects to be defended by Andre Drummond more in game two. I asked whether he noticed Drummond waving off his three-point attempts on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/KmpuuHO8jJ
— Kane Pitman (@KanePitman) April 16, 2019
Antetokounmpo noticed that, in Game 1, Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond was trying hard to keep him out of the paint. He was willing to sacrifice the three-pointer to keep him away. But even with the tough defense, Antetokounmpo managed 24 points in just 23 minutes during Milwaukee's blowout victory.
But despite its failure, Drummond's approach might be the best choice there is. Antetokounmpo is absolutely lethal in the paint, posting the league's fourth-highest two point percentage at 64.1%. But he is mortal beyond the arc, making just 25.6% of his three-pointers. Drummond and the Pistons might have had the right idea in Game 1, and just executed poorly.
Even if they had somehow shut down Antetokounmpo in Game 1, Detroit likely wouldn't have had a chance to win. The eighth-seed Pistons looked overmatched in their 121-86 loss to the top team in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks remain heavy favorites to win the series and advance to the second round.
In the regular season, Antetokounpo averaged 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists while shooting 57.8%.
Either he or Houston Rockets star James Harden is likely to take home the league MVP award.
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