Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Challenges and Expectations for the Upcoming Season

ESPN Digital Aug 9, 2023, 08:00 ETRead: 4 min.

Antetokounmpo and a hard meeting with a journalist: “Not winning a championship is not failing”

Giannis Antetokounmpo was categorical when answering the question if the Milwaukee Bucks season was a failure after being eliminated by Miami.

It was a different offseason for the Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo because of the firing of coach Mike Budenholzer.

After being NBA champions in the 2020-2021 campaign, the Bucks were eliminated in the following two seasons in the semifinals and in the first round. General management decided to fire Budenholzer and hire Adrian Griffin as his replacement.

The Bucks also renewed Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton.

Without any relevant signing, the Bucks and Giannis return next season with the aspiration of being NBA champions again.

1-What is the main challenge for Giannis in the next season?

The Greek has spent several seasons proving that he is the most dominant player in the league; He has a good team and for that reason, his great challenge for the coming season is not only to dominate the East or have a winning record with the Milwaukee Bucks, but to confirm them and be the leader (which he already is) of the franchise that for situations that seem inexplicable, has been left on the edge of the NBA Finals.

Antetokounmpo and the rest of the Bucks are breathing new air with the arrival of coach Adrian Griifin; It will perhaps be a year of transition for them, but Giannis must show that he has the sizes to go out and move the team forward despite the casualties or additions to the roster or the bench. (Rolando del Bosque)

2- A key number or statistic for Giannis in the coming season.

64.5. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s free throw percentage last season. This was the second lowest of his career (he had 63.3% in 2019-20) and he was much worse (45.2%) in the three games he was able to play in the playoffs against the Heat.

Whether your name is Nic Claxton or Steven Adams isn’t a problem, but Giannis, an MVP candidate, led the league in free throw attempts with 772 (12.3 per game). His 27% 3-point rate isn’t so problematic, because shooting from the arc is optional for him. The free kick is another story, and by far he had the lowest percentage among players who missed at least 125 attempts per 82 games, according to StatMuse.

As this worsens, it becomes a bigger problem for the Bucks, because in close games, it can be the difference if the opponent identifies and exploits that weakness more often. Hack-a-Giannis? Miami took the lead in Game 5 of the first round of the playoffs, gifting a sore Giannis with 23 layup attempts. Missed 13; Milwaukee lost by two points. (hiram martinez)

3- What does Giannis have to do to return to the NBA finals and aspire to the championship?

Since leading Milwaukee to its second-ever championship, Giannis Antetokounmpo has earned the right to consider any version of the team he plays for a title contender.

This summer, the Bucks have not only consolidated the core of their squad by keeping Kris Middleton and Brook López, but also adding players who can bring them experience, sacrifice and toughness in the paint like Robin López, or points and good perimeter defense like Malik Beasley.

There is no doubt that Giannis is the most important player, the different one, the leader capable of leading the march towards the promised land. But his team needs him not to get hurt consistently. The three games he played in the playoffs against the Miami Heat deprived Milwaukee of a long run in the last postseason.

Antetokounmpo has missed at least 15 games or more in the last 4 seasons. And what is worse, the injuries suffered in the playoffs were a decisive factor so that the Bucks could not repeat the title achieved in 2021.

Giannis’ presence on the field transforms his spectacular statistics of points, rebounds, assists and blocks into cold numbers. His presence lights the sacred fire that a team needs to reach the promised land or, at least, try to win the third title in its history. With a healthy “Greek Freak”, everything is possible. But if Giannis isn’t at his best and has to deal with injuries, the Milwaukee guys won’t be able to get their hopes up about winning the third… (Marcelo Bousquet)

2023-08-09 03:33:39
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