3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Of all the choices here, this is the one most fraught with disaster potential.
It has nothing to do with the man himself. In a league full of them, he is the One True Unicorn. He was nearly unguardable last year despite hitting only 27 percent from downtown, a number which he has vowed to improve. He is one of maybe three players in the NBA who can guard literally anyone. His ceiling is a cross between the two current best players in the league. He is twenty-two freaking years old.
No, this choice could blow up because Milwaukee, even in a diluted East, is anything but a sure thing. Following a surprising .500 finish in 2014-15, they surprised no one the next season and won 33 games. If the same trend continues following a hopeful 42-win campaign, even monster stats won’t help the Freak in this field.
On the other hand, if they mess around and get one of the East’s top seeds, predicting a third place finish from him might look ridiculous for a different reason.