Milwaukee Bucks star small forward Giannis Antetokounmpo believes the Bucks have a shot to win the NBA Finals this season.
The Bucks enter Wednesday with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference at 20-9, trailing only the Toronto Raptors. Giannis Antetokounmpo and the rest of his teammates have already proven they can hang with the best. They beat the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena by 23 points and the Raptors up in Canada.
Under new head coach Mike Budenholzer, the Bucks are scoring better than they ever have, putting up 117.6 points per game. That is first in the NBA. Giannis Antetokounmpo says the team is talented enough to win the title, and now it's all about putting in the right amount of effort every day.
Article Continues BelowVia Howard Beck of Bleacher Report:
For the first time since he arrived in 2013, as a gangly, largely anonymous and undeveloped teenager, Antetokounmpo is a legitimate MVP candidate. And the Bucks—who last won a playoff series in 2001 and finished a ho-hum 44-38 last season—are projecting the look of a title contender.
“Definitely. I feel like we definitely got a shot,” Antetokounmpo says. “I think now we have the talent. It's just in our hands to put the effort and energy into every game, and we definitely have a shot.”
Antetokounmpo is putting up monster numbers this season. The two-time All-Star is averaging 26.8 points, 13.1 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game while shooting 58.9 percent from the field. Giannis still doesn't have a 3-point shot, as he's shooting just 12.5 percent from deep, but he really doesn't even need one right now since he can get to the rim whenever he wants and finish in heavy traffic.
Bucks point guard Eric Bledsoe is playing at a high level in his first full season in Milwaukee, and Khris Middleton is the perfect second option behind Antetokounmpo. Things are looking good for the Bucks right now.