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Milwaukee Bucks fans cans breathe easier. Giannis Antetokounmpo declared his loyalty to the franchise Tuesday by signing a five-year supermax contract that is the richest in NBA history.
There had been plenty of murmurs regarding Giannis' future after two consecutive years of playoff failures. Antetokounmpo has always made it clear he values winning more than anything else. Can it be done in Milwaukee? Well, NBA fans are about to find out.
The Bucks and the “Greek Freak” have dominated the regular season in each of the two years. It has meant next to nothing in the playoffs.
Still, Milwaukee has been assertive in its desire to make the roster better and “go for it,” so to speak. The Bucks traded away a ton of draft capital to acquire Jrue Holiday from the New Orleans Pelicans, a deal that at least looks a little better now that Antetokounmpo is sticking around for the long haul.
That said, this is a team that is eerily similar. The question will be whether Giannis, head coach Mike Budenholzer and the rest of the group find a way to play winning basketball when the playoffs arrive.
So, can Giannis Antetokounmpo cement his legacy by winning a championship in Milwaukee?
The current outlook for 2020-21
Holiday was the most important addition to the team's chances at winning a championship this year, but he will have a ton of pressure on his shoulders.
The Bucks didn't just give up hefty draft compensation to acquire him. They also traded away Eric Bledsoe and George Hill.
Say what you will about Bledsoe's inability to shoot the ball, he could get into the paint and make plays for his teammates on drive-and-kick actions. Hill, meanwhile led the NBA in three-point percentage. His absence is especially notable for a team that has lacked adequate spacing come playoff time.
This is not meant as a knock on Holiday. He is consistently hailed as one of the best individual defenders in basketball and can guard multiple positions. Holiday also averaged 19.1 points, 6.7 assists and 4.8 rebounds in what was actually something of a down year in 2019/20. The former UCLA star will be a boon for Milwaukee, especially if he can be more efficient from the perimeter.
The Bucks were also smart to scoop up capable bench guys like DJ Augustin–who has a keen ability to create offense in spite of being somewhat inefficient– and Bryn Forbes.
The addition of Forbes is especially underrated. Forbes is shooting 40 percent from beyond the arc for his career, and is more of a volume sniper than anyone Milwaukee has had in the past. Opposing teams will have to respect him when he is on the floor.
Finally, the Bobby Portis signing also has upside. Portis can stretch the floor, but he also has a surprising ability to face up and take defenders off the dribble. He could be a far more athletic impactful version of Ersan Ilyasova.
Milwaukee has plenty of talent to win a title this year. The Bucks might ultimately be glad they kept Donte DiVincenzo–who was meant to be included in the failed Bogdan Bogdanovic sign-and-trade effort–given he defends at a high level and began to grow into his own as a playmaker last year.
The question, once again, will be how Milwaukee counteracts their opponents' ability to shrink the floor in the perimeter. Perhaps Budenholzer takes Antetokounmpo off the ball more and looks to exploit Holiday and Khris Middleton as pick-and-roll scorers who can get into the lane and make plays for others.
Regardless, the Bucks need an answer for paint-packing defenses who send multiple defenders at Giannis. This roster might be diverse enough to get the job done.
What about the next five years?
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Giannis Antetokounmpo said last week he did not see this season as a “championship or bust” sort of campaign. How can Milwaukee continue to improve the team around him?
It would not be a surprise to see the Bucks extend Holiday. He has a player option for next year, but Milwaukee might hope to solidify its big three of Giannis, Middleton and Holiday sooner rather than later.
But Antetokounmpo's contract pushes the Bucks close to–if not above–the luxury tax threshold for next year. Milwaukee will have limited spending capabilities. The same can essentially be said for the following year when factoring in Giannis' deal and assuming the team re-signs Holiday.
Essentially, the Bucks could resort to fillers around their star trio. The Lasry family has suggested they will spend well into the luxury tax to bring a winner to Milwaukee, but the money figures to be tied up in three players.
In other words, there will be a lot of pressure on general manager Jon Horst and the rest of the front office to plug and play or possibly find ways to trade for other stars.
Giannis and Bud
Really, Giannis' championship hopes are reliant on himself and Budenholzer.
“Bud” needs to make coaching adjustments to create rotations that are more dangerous and provide more spacing come playoff time.
Giannis, meanwhile, needs to continue to grow as a perimeter shooter and make opponents respect his jumper if it all possible.
The Bucks have two supermax players in Antetokounmpo and Middleton. Naturally, that makes it pretty hard to spend big around them in pursuit of a championship, and the task is even harder considering Milwaukee lacks draft assets.
Will Giannis Antetokounmpo win a title in Milwaukee? It depends mostly on his own progress, and whether his head coach can be more adaptive on the offensive end of the floor.
