The Milwaukee Bucks are one of the most feared contenders in today's NBA, thanks in large part to the nightly exploits of arguably the league's current best player, Giannis Antetokounmpo, his recent ladder incident notwithstanding. However, with Antetokounmpo's rampaging style of basketball, what with his explosive bursts to the hoop and towering physical advantages in the paint, comes a few drawbacks, which definitely caught the eye of head coach Mike Budenholzer.
During the third quarter of Bucks' 119-111 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, Antetokounmpo was on one of his usual forays to the rim. Jerami Grant, unable to stop the Greek Freak from building a head of steam, wrapped his arm around Antetokounmpo, knocking him off balance. As Antetokounmpo hoisted up a wild shot on his way to the floor, he ended up getting held by Justise Winslow on the neck, almost reminiscent of a choke hold from behind.
It really is a mystery why Giannis shoots so many free throws pic.twitter.com/jdqGaiiBFd
— Nathan Marzion (@nathanmarzion) November 22, 2022
However, officials didn't deem the contact against Giannis Antetokounmpo to be excessive, and upheld the call as a common foul instead of elevating it into a flagrant infraction. While the play didn't end up being too crucial to the outcome of the game, Mike Budenholzer still voiced his frustration towards the officials' decision after the game.
“I just think sometimes the hits that Giannis is taking, the league needs to look at them. The league needs to protect him,” Budenholzer said, per Gabe Stoltz of Brew Hoop.
Such is the double-edged sword of being as physically imposing as the 6'11 Giannis Antetokounmpo. Once he makes his way into the paint, defenses, perhaps, feel the need to rough him up lest they allow easy uncontested hoops right at the rim.
In years past, physical beasts such as Shaquille O'Neal and LeBron James, among others, have also been hit hard in the paint due to the pressure they put on an opposing team's interior defense.
Nevertheless, Budenholzer is well within his rights as a head coach to call for his players', especially Giannis', protection. The best ability remains availability, especially given the plethora of injury woes teams are experiencing in the early goings of the season, and the onus is on the officials to make sure that the physicality of the game doesn't become way too excessive.
At the end of the day, the rough physical contact didn't seem to faze Giannis Antetokounmpo at all, as he still dropped 37 points, seven rebounds, and six assists in the Bucks victory.
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