Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the best basketball players in the world. Yet he did not touch the ball in the final 35 seconds of regulation and several possessions in overtime during the Milwaukee Bucks’ 124-122 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night at Staples Center.
Although the Bucks have come up clutch in recent games, beating the Golden State Warriors the other night and now outlasting the Lakers, there is still much improvement the team needs to truly compliment Giannis’ star potential.
It didn’t help that the Bucks fired coach Jason Kidd mid season, which clearly disrupted some of the team’s chemistry heading into the later part of the season. Now under the leadership of interim coach Joe Prunty, the Bucks have struggled to improve anymore than they had under Kidd’s tenure. It is clear the organization needs to look elsewhere in a head coach heading into next season. Prunty is not utilizing Giannis how he should be, and this is affecting the young star’s potential and growth. Antetokounmpo is already one of the most dominant players in the NBA; however, he needs the right guidance to continue his rise to glory.
The Bucks are riding the 8th and last spot in the eastern conference for playoff contention, and need to continue playing hard to hold off the Piston’s from knocking them out of the post season. Hopefully the Bucks will find a way to better utilize Giannis in crunch time. The Bucks will need to fix these kinks if they desire to make a splash in this year’s post season. 