Should Bucks Play Giannis Antetokounmpo Fewer Minutes?

Last season, Giannis Antetokounmpo played his most minutes since the 2017-18 season before a calf injury caused him to miss the playoffs. To be healthy when April rolls around, should the Milwaukee Bucks consider giving him more rest?

Cody Smith | Sep 9, 2024

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) walks to the sideline during the second quarter against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. / Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

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Milwaukee Bucks

MILWAUKEE — With the 2024-25 season looming, there are reasons to believe that the Milwaukee Bucks should take extra care when allocating Giannis Antetokounmpo's minutes this regular season.

The cause of concern is Antetokounmpo's recent struggles to remain healthy come the postseason. Between the past two postseasons combined, the Greek Freak had only been able to complete two of the Bucks' 11 playoffs games. His absences are a big reason why Milwaukee has been eliminated in the first round in back-to-back postseasons.

After having had his minutes carefully monitored under former coach Mike Budenholzer, Antetokounmpo played more minutes in 2023-24 than he had over the last five seasons.

Last season, the Greek Freak averaged a whopping 35.2 minutes per game, his highest minutes total since the 2017-18 season, when he averaged 36.7 minutes per game as a 23-year old.

He appeared in 73 regular season games, which was his most since 2018-19 when he played in 72 games.

He played in 2,567 minutes, his highest regular-season total since recording 2,756 in 2017-28.

Through five seasons under Budenholzer, Antetokounmpo averaged 2,103 minutes per season or 32.3 minutes per game over 65 games per season.

We don't show these numbers to suggest that Budenholzer's ideology is a better approach, but the Bucks should be talented enough that they shouldn't need their superstar to rack up minutes on a nightly basis, especially against below-average teams.

For example, Antetokounmpo played in 41 minutes against the Chicago Bulls in a four-point win last December, as well as 38 minutes in a 141-135 road victory over the Detroit Pistons last January. These were just some of multiple instances where his minutes were higher than they should be given the talent disparity in franchises.

Heading into 2024-25, one of the biggest challenges will be finding ways to get consisntent production outside of its starting five as well as lineups that feature only a handful of starters. Last season, the Bucks were effective with their best players on the floor, but they couldn't replicate that consistent production in the other moments. That will need to change if Milwaukee wants to get back into title contention.

Being able to have Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard become an unstoppable duo should be the primary goal, but allowing both players to find success without the presence of the other on the court at all times could provide sustained success for the team. Last season, in lineups that featured Lillard without Antetokounmpo, the Bucks were outscored by 0.5 points per 100 possessions, while lineups featuring Antetokounmpo without Lillard were outscored 1.1 points per 100 possessions in 1,647 possessions.

Much like they have in the past, the Milwaukee Bucks will be a veteren-led team. They have nine proven NBA veterans at the top of its roster if you include the offseason signings of Gary Trent Jr., Delon Wright and Taurean Prince. They also have an elite shooter in A.J. Green, who's expected to fight for more minutes as a third-year player after he earned valuable experience in the postseason last year.

If the Bucks can find a way to preserve Antetokounmpo by playing him a couple of minutes less than last season, then it could help keep him fresh for a deep postseason run while also allowing the reserves to build their own confidence.

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