Hawks vs. Bucks Game Preview

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks have somehow improved in their second year under Mike Budenholzer.

It’s rare that a team must turn around from a back-to-back against the Clippers and Lakers and face an opponent of equal or greater caliber in its next game, but so mandated the NBA’s scheduling czars when they plotted Atlanta’s bout first bout of the season with the Bucks. In Year 2 of the Mike Budenholzer era, Milwaukee has arguably been the NBA’s best team thus far, and Giannis Antetokounmpo might be its best player. The Bucks, currently 10-3 on the season, own the best point differential in the league thanks to a top-six offense and defense, while Antetokounmpo has somehow taken his game to a new level after capturing his first MVP award last season. The young Grecian is averaging a preposterous 30 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists per game on 63.4 percent true shooting – all while playing elite defense and serving as Milwaukee’s greatest steadying force.

Just as there’s no good answer to LeBron James or Paul George, there’s no real way of stopping Antetokounmpo. Meeting him at the point of attack is important, but it takes a village to truly make him uncomfortable. There’s only so much one can do when an opponent’s 6-foot-11 primary ball-handler is at once the fastest frontcourt player in the league and the most indomitable finisher at the rim since prime Shaquille O’Neal. Antetokounmpo shoots 79 percent (!) at the rim while taking nearly 60 percent of his shots there. Once he gets a step on his defender and beats the help to the lane, there is literally no stopping him:

As a result, Antetokounmpo gets to the foul line more than nearly any player in the NBA, and while he remains an inconsistent free-throw shooter, his ability to put pressure on defenses and create efficient shots is perhaps the single greatest offensive weapon in the NBA now that Steph Curry is injured. He’s less dominant in the post than one might expect, though the prospect of Giannis simply backing his man underneath the hoop and obliterating him with a dunk always looms:

He’ll never be an elite shooter, but he has been slightly more accurate from beyond the arc this season on his highest volume of attempts since his rookie year. It’s almost a tired point at this stage, but if Giannis begins doing this routinely, just pack it up and go home:

Atlanta will give Jabari Parker the first chance of guarding Giannis, but will send help from all directions in attempt to wall of his drives. “Jabari’s got some intimate knowledge of the kid, so we take advantage of that,” Lloyd Pierce said. “No one guy is stopping a guy that finishes that effectively in the paint. So it is the crowd. It’s the other guys.” De’Andre Hunter, who spent time defending George and James over the weekend, will likely get an opportunity as well. But the tradeoff of keying in on Antetokounmpo – as is the case with most any elite NBA player – is surrendering open looks to others. The Greek Freak is setting up teammates better than ever and as a result, Milwaukee attempts the highest share of 3-pointers of any team other than the Rockets.

Game Time: Wednesday, November 20, 2019, 7:30 p.m. ET

Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA

TV: FOX Sports Southeast, FOX Sports Wisconsin

Streaming: NBA League Pass, FOX Sports Go

Beyond Giannis, the Bucks feature a bevy of competent NBA players, which is really all a team needs when Antetokounmpo is its foundation. Khris Middleton won’t play against Atlanta due to a left thigh contusion, but Milwaukee has hardly missed a beat in his absence. Wes Matthews, George Hill, Donte DiVincenzo, Pat Connaughton, Sterling Brown, and Kyle Korver all provide capable play on the wing, which has helped paper over both Middleton’s absence and the early struggles of Eric Bledsoe and Brook Lopez. Bledsoe still helps ignite the Bucks’ offense with his downhill burst and passing, but remains a below-average 3-point shooter. Lopez, who set the NBA on fire last season by extending his range past the arc, hasn’t yet found the stroke that nearly led him to an All-Star appearance last year.

Defensively, neither has lost a step. Lopez is one of the NBA’s stingiest rim protectors while Bledsoe is a tenacious on-ball defender. The two will spend plenty of time negotiating pick-and-rolls against Trae Young, which will likely involve Lopez dropping back to the rim while Bledsoe slides over the top of the screen (which he does as well as any guard in basketball). Milwaukee plays a conservative defense that gives up plenty of 3-pointers, but allows the second-lowest percentage of shots at the rim in the NBA. That makes for a fascinating tug-of-war with Atlanta, who takes the second-highest frequency of shots at the rim but ranks dead last in 3-point percentage. If the Bucks can successfully dictate where Atlanta’s shots come from, the Hawks will be in for a dreary evening.