The Bucks Have an Embarrassment of Riches
When fans of the National Basketball Association debate the league’s current best player, Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo makes an appearance in the conversation more often than not. At just 28 years old, the Greece native already has the resume of a Hall-of-Famer and continues to add to his accolade collection.
In just nine full seasons, Antetokounmpo is a seven-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA member, five-time All-Defensive teamer, one-time NBA Finals MVP, and a two-time league MVP. And yet, in his 10th season, Antetokounmpo might be in the midst of his best season. In 60 games played, Antetokounmpo is averaging 31.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game.
But this article isn’t about the success of Antetokounmpo. Yes, he’s been the driving factor for the Bucks’ continued rise, but his dominance masks the real focal point of the Bucks: the depth.
Wednesday night, Jrue Holiday scored a career-high 51 points in the Bucks’ 149-136 win over the Indiana Pacers. Holiday did so on just three three-pointers, shooting an overall 20-of-30 from the field. He also added eight rebounds and eight assists, which nearly landed him a spot in the elite 50-point triple-double record book.
The craziest part about this performance isn’t the growing scoring ability of Holiday, who is already scary enough on the defensive end; the astounding part is that Antetokounmpo had a 38-point triple-double in the same game! This was no ordinary triple-double either. Antetokounmpo’s 38 points, 17 rebounds, and 12 assists Wednesday is, on most nights, enough to earn Player of the Game honors. Except when your teammate nearly has their own triple-double. With 51 points.
The fact is, the Bucks have found their footing atop the NBA and still have yet to find consistent play from secondary star Khris Middleton. Middleton’s played in just 30 games this year and is averaging south of 16 points per game. This would be his lowest season-scoring average in the past six years.
Even if Middleton never returns to his full form, the Bucks, in truth, don’t look any less of a challenge for opponents in the playoffs. Brook Lopez has been a dark horse candidate for Defensive Player of the Year this season and has subsequently upped his scoring punch by over three points a game.
Even with Giannis, Middleton, and forward Bobby Portis being in and out of the lineup this season, the Bucks have figured it out. When Holiday becomes a scorer, the Bucks have few limits on either end of the court.
The Bucks are fortunate enough not to have to depend on a monster performance from Antetokounmpo every night. And with the Bucks likely to be the number one seed in the East come playoff time, Antetokounmpo might even have some extra rest days should the Bucks make quick work of the eighth seed in round one.
