Giannis Antetokounmpo is locked into his contract with the Milwaukee Bucks through the 2020-21 season, but that hasn't stopped questions about his future in Cream City and playful recruitment from other teams.
Over All-Star weekend, the Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid pitched the idea of Antetokounmpo joining him in Philadelphia, according to a report from the Journal Sentinel's Matt Velazquez:
He also mentioned talking with Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, although that conversation didn't have as much depth to it.
“He told me I should trust the process and come play for Philly,” Antetokounmpo said with a chuckle, drawing a laugh. “That was my reaction — I just laughed.”
For now, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks are focusing on making Milwaukee into a contender with a supporting cast as good as the Greek Freak has ever had.
Based on the Bucks' core, it's difficult to imagine a scenario where they'd have a legit opportunity to make significant upgrades up and down their roster in an attempt to convince Antetokounmpo to stay. And that's okay. Given their talent level, they should have more than enough to challenge for a top spot in the Eastern Conference once Antetokounmpo hits his prime.
Despite a plethora of injuries to their backcourt, Milwaukee still has one of the deeper depth charts when it comes to guards and wings.
Eric Bledsoe
The midseason acquisition of Eric Bledsoe from the Phoenix Suns gave them the much-needed athleticism they were lacking from guards Malcolm Brogdon and Matthew Dellavedova. At 6'1″ and 205 pounds, Bledsoe often acts as a bowling ball with defenders bouncing off him on his way to the rim:
After catching the pass near mid-court, he brings the ball up the floor and realizes there's no help defender in the lane if he can get past his man.
Bledsoe then hits Rajon Rondo with a hop-and-hesi dribble at the three-point line, even though both players know he's not going to take the shot. This allows him to spring into action and utilize his quick first-step while attacking the rim. Rondo appears to be in a perfect guarding position, having slid his feet and squared his chest up with Bledsoe, however, the Bucks' guard slyly uses his strength to shoulder Rondo out of the way as he gathers and lays the ball in for an uncontested layup.
The secondary shot-creation Bledsoe brings to the table is a huge asset for Antetokounmpo, taking some of the scoring load off his shoulders. Bledsoe's acquisition has also moved Brogdon and Dellavedova down one spot on the depth chart, which is better for everyone.
When healthy, Brogdon will come off the bench and feast on less athletic guards as he did on his way to earning Rookie of the Year honors last season. At 6'5″, Brogdon is too physical a presence to opposing players, using his great strength, physicality and size to make up for his lack of lateral quickness:
On this play, while defending James Harden, Brogdon fights through the screen and recovers on the perimeter. Despite standing a few feet away from Harden, Brogdon is able to use his length to knock the ball out of his hands on the way up for the shot. If you pause the video at 0:02 seconds, you'll see how truly ridiculous this feat is.
Unlike Bledsoe, Brogdon is also able to space the floor all the way out to the three-point line and give Giannis Antetokounmpo the valuable space he needs to work with. This might be the most valuable attribute he brings. A team can never have enough shooters to surround their star player with (Just ask the Houston Rockets).
The third point guard, Dellavedova, is also a useful player when put in the right position. When he was with the Cleveland Cavaliers, he earned came off the bench in spot duty, providing an aggravating amount of energy, hustle and toughness. Last season, he was asked to start games and compete against the best in the world, resulting in his inevitable struggles. Now, he's once again appropriately placed as the third point on the team and should be able to regain the confidence he played with two years ago once everyone's health resumes.
Khris Middleton
Milwaukee's wings are perhaps the best fit possible next to the Greek Freak given the overabundance of shooting they bring to the floor. Both Khris Middleton and Tony Snell are 3-and-D specialists who space the floor, demand the defense's respect from downtown and will also clamp their man on the opposite end.
Despite Middleton suffering a down season from the outside (only shooting 34.3 percent), his game is diverse enough to positively contribute in other areas, averaging 5.3 rebounds (career-high) and 4.1 assists (second-best) per game this season. He can also take on ball-handling responsibilities by creating shots for himself or others as a form of relief for Antetokounmpo.
Defensively, he makes a great wing-pairing with Snell, giving the Bucks two lengthy guards who can switch 1 through 4, and keep each other fresh by taking turns on the opposing team's best player. Even though neither are elite defenders, they do enough to make life difficult for offensive players.
Snell's role is more strictly limited to the 3-and-D category and he knows it. He never tries to do too much, he simply plays within himself and takes what the game gives him:
After knocking down a career-high 40.6 percent of his 4.4 three-point attempts per game (also a career-high) last season, Snell has continued his red-hot shooting this year by connecting on 40.7 percent of his shots. This simple design used to get shooters open looks on the perimeter has been one of Snell's best plays. It stems from Milwaukee's corner offense, which creates quite a few opportunities for him to catch-and-shoot off the dribble handoff, as he did here.
Behind them sits another potential second round gem in Sterling Brown. At 6'5″, Brown too has the potential to develop into another 3-and-D guy off the bench. This would be a huge asset for a team who is becoming increasingly cap-strapped and needs to find players any way they can.
Jason Terry has undoubtedly been a great role model and support for the three wings, as he's the third-oldest player on a current NBA roster. However, with the injuries mounting, Terry's role has had to increase in the last few weeks, which has led to more playing time for the 19-year veteran and he's filled in admirably.
Fortunately, Terry's role with the team will likely continue to decrease as Jabari Parker works his way back from the second ACL injury he suffered last season. Milwaukee isn't quite sure what they have yet in Parker, given his previous dependence on his elite athleticism to get to the rim and score over and through opponents.
With Parker reportedly seeking a max contract this summer, that will make life very difficult for the Bucks as they look to put the best team around Antetokounmpo. If they swing and miss with Parker, they'll see their financial flexibility completely disappear and with it, the likelihood of adding another star next to their franchise player.
He's only played nine games so far, but the initial results are encouraging, averaging 11.2 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 48.6 percent from the floor in 19.7 minutes per Basketball-Reference. With a lot of unknowns remaining, it appears he still has a ways to go until he can return to form, at least athletically:
Whether you want to say Parker was stuffed by the rim or Nikola Mirotic, I'm not sure what's worse. What's certain, though, is this never would've happened before his injury and is a discouraging sign he may never be the athletic specimen he once was. However, that doesn't mean he still won't become a good or even great player in the NBA. Parker is supremely talented with great skill and a strong work ethic.
Almost as unknown as Parker's future is the future of the Bucks' center position. It's unquestionably the weakest spot of their roster and is a glaring hole every single night.
There's an argument to be made John Henson is having the best season of his career, but that's not saying much for a player who was stuck in limbo for most of the past two seasons. He's developed a nice little lefty hook shot he uses from what feels like 10 feet out. He's also worked on his mid-range game and can knock that down when left wide open. However, defenses tend to completely ignore him and focus their sole attention on the other Bucks' scorers:
As Bledsoe comes off a screen on the wing, Henson's man is anticipating it and sags way off and into the lane. As Bledsoe catches it and attacks, Marcin Gortat pays Henson no mind and doesn't even flinch on the fake pass to the rolling big man. His sole focus is on stopping Bledsoe from getting a shot up.
The other bigs on the Bucks' roster are a little more offensively adverse, especially Thon Maker. Maker is very similar to Henson in a lot of ways. Both look like string beans and constantly get pushed around on the glass and in the paint. However, Maker is able to step to the three-point line and at least hoist up shots since he's not yet able to knock them down with any consistency.
Even with the obviously needed upgrade at center, the Bucks are going to be hard-pressed to find better talent to fit around Antetkounmpo. They've done a great job of acquiring players by using the various methods available to them and will need to continue to maximize those efforts in order to take the team to the next level.
There's no need to worry about the future if Milwaukee can cement its present.
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