BOSTON – With the size of a center and the skill set of a guard, Giannis Antetokounmpo has been a nightmare to guard during his first three NBA seasons.
Now, that tribulation has magnified for the opposition.
During Milwaukee’s last five games, the 6-foot-11 positionless 21-year-old has taken on the role of the Bucks’ primary ball handler, and they have surged to four wins as a result.
Milwaukee coach Jason Kidd initiated the move right before the All-Star break when the Bucks were in the midst of their worst losing spell of the season, having lost seven of eight games.
After Milwaukee’s offense hit rock-bottom with a lowly 81-point effort on Feb. 5 in Utah, Kidd made some drastic lineup changes, moving guard Michael Carter-Williams and forward Greg Monroe to the bench in exchange for O.J. Mayo and Miles Plumlee.
The demotion of Carter-Williams opened up the Bucks’ primary ball handling role, and Kidd slid Antetokounmpo into that spot without hesitation.
“Giannis is an unselfish player and he has the skill set to be a playmaker in this league,” Kidd said following Milwaukee’s shootaround Thursday morning before taking on the Boston Celtics. “He can handle the ball, he wants that responsibility, and he strives in it.”
Boston was the first team to get a taste of Milwaukee’s new-look starting rotation, and it was not a sweet one for the Celtics as they lost, 112-111.
Antetokounmpo was not a huge factor during that game (14 points, three rebounds, two assists), but he has been unstoppable ever since. He has logged four straight double-doubles, including his first career triple-double (27 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists) during the Bucks’ latest outing Monday night against the Lakers.
During the last five games, Kidd says “the tempo has definitely gone up. The ball has moved a lot more when you look at that first group and the pace that that first group is playing at is a lot higher than it has been.”
It certainly has. Through its first 52 games, Milwaukee had an average first quarter pace of 98.94 possessions per 48 minutes. That number has jumped up to 104.2 during its last five contests, and that’s largely due to its ability to space the floor when Antetokounmpo is activating the offense.
“He has the skill set to do it, he has the IQ to do it and he’s doing it well,” said Kidd. “Being consistent with that at 6-11 causes a problem, and that’s what he does.”
Kidd has attempted to fully utilize Antetokounmpo’s unrivaled versatility ever since he took the Bucks coaching job two seasons ago. One of his first moves as their coach was to test out the Greek Freak’s handling skills by having him run the point during summer league.
Antetokounmpo saw it as a sign of things to come.
“I definitely knew one day it was going to come back, because [Kidd] knew that I could [be the primary ball handler],” said Antetokounmpo, who is averaging 16.2 points and 7.4 rebounds this season. “I’m just comfortable because I feel that my coach and my teammates trust me doing that.”
One of those teammates is Carter-Williams. Though Antetokounmpo essentially took his role in the starting lineup, Carter-Williams has embraced what he has brought to the team lately.
“Giannis is a special player,” said the Hamilton, Mass. native and former NBA Rookie of the Year. “He can pass the ball, he can get us into our offense. With him running the point I think we can really spread the floor out a little bit, relieve some ball pressure and he can make plays.”
Some of the plays Antetokounmpo has made lately have been nothing shy of astounding. He dazzled the Lakers on Monday with a handful of brilliant passes, including a half-court dish to Mayo that Kidd later called “one of the best I’ve seen.”
Antetokounmpo has an unconventional makeup for a ball handler, but his presence is enabling the Bucks to become a better passing team. That, in turn, is translating to winning basketball for a 24-33 Milwaukee team that is attempting to make a push for the playoffs.
“It makes the game simple and it makes the game easy when you can pass the ball,” said Kidd, who ranks No. 2 all-time in NBA career assists. “If you use the pass instead of the dribble, everybody’s touching it, everybody feels empowered, and when we do that, we tend to win those games.”
Stopping that flow will be a key for Boston tonight, or else Antetokounmpo could turn into its worst nightmare.
