Milwaukee Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo needs to add to his offense

If the Milwaukee Bucks are going to win a championship, Giannis needs to add to his offensive game

Despite the Milwaukee Bucks losing to the Miami Heat in five games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the NBA’s MVP award should still belong in the hands of Giannis Antetokounmpo. He was by far the best player throughout the regular season and dominated the league with his attack mentality.

But for the past several seasons, Giannis’ regular-season dominance hasn’t seemed to carry over to the playoffs for the Milwaukee Bucks. Falling short of an NBA Finals appearance two seasons in a row, the Greef Freak may need to change some things.

Teams in the Eastern Conference study the MVP all season long. The ultimate goal for any team guarding Giannis is to trap him under the basket and make things uncomfortable for him.

More from Sir Charles In Charge

The Toronto Raptors figured out their ultimate formula to shutting down Giannis. Nick Nurse and his players made an effort to close all of the driving lanes that were available for Giannis. Anytime he attempted to penetrate, help was on the way. The Raptors 1-2–2 zone defense worked in their favor as they were able to force turnovers from Giannis or force him to kick it out to an open teammate. In the process of maintaining the Greek Freak, the Raptors were able to send him home en route to their first franchise championship.

Fast forward to this season. The Miami Heat proved to be an elite defensive team all season long. With going against the Greek Freak, the Heat made it a priority to force other Bucks players to beat them. And they did just that. Giannis averaged a very low 21.7 points per game in his 3.5 games played in this semifinals. Although he was on pace for a dominant Game 4 before his injury, it still wouldn’t have meant much being down 3-0.

Miami took a page out of Toronto’s book and mixed it into their style of defense. They made sure to clog the driving lanes for Giannis to force the ball out his hands. Also, whenever the Bucks tried to dump off to Giannis under the basket, double and triple teams were forced and it caused him to be ineffective all game. Teams begin to realize how much Giannis’ energy is important to Milwaukee’s success. When Giannis isn’t a factor while he is on the floor, the Bucks find themselves in trouble quickly.

After failing to reach the conference finals this postseason, this is possibly Giannis’ biggest offseason of his career. He has been a superstar talent for many years now. As the competitor that he is, it’s time that he finds new ways that he can dominate offensively.

Finding a consistent perimeter game is the best attribute to add to Giannis’ game. While the Greek Freak can knock down perimeter shots, unfortunately, it’s not on a consistent basis. Teams have continued to dare him to shoot perimeter shots and at most times he refuses to. These past few experiences in the playoffs should motivate Giannis to not be so one dimensional on the offensive end. Finding different ways to beat his opponents could possibly give him a trip to his first NBA Finals.

It’s almost do-or-die for the Milwaukee Bucks. In the final year of Giannis’ contract, it is important that the team spends next season with a chip on their shoulder ready to take command of the Eastern Conference. The conference will only get tougher than it is this season. Giannis is going to have a more difficult time in his quest for his first NBA Finals. All he has to do is add more to his offensive craft.

Next. Toronto Raptors: Can Pascal Siakam shake the Boston Celtics?. dark

The world knows how much energy he brings to the game when he is in attack mode. If he can attack the defense in multiple ways next season, then we may see a different outcome for the Milwaukee Bucks next season.

Home/Milwaukee Bucks