Tag: Giannis Antetokounmpo

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Will Jabari Remain a Buck?

When Jabari Parker was drafted as our first round pick in 2014, most Bucks fans thought of him as a big part of our future. A key alongside Giannis in the eventual rise of Milwaukee basketball as we once knew it. Now it seems questionable if Jabari is even relevant to the team going forward.

Part of the problem stems back to the two scary injuries Jabari has faced throughout his tenure with Milwaukee. He has suffered two town ACL’s, in both knees, and this has surely disrupted his progress and adjustment to the team’s current fixture. But even though he is recovered now and played for us in the Bucks series against the Celtics, he doesn’t look like the Jabari we all once knew prior to the injuries. He looks shaky, almost hesitant to jump and run because he is afraid of re injuring his knees.

Aside from how he is looking, Parker also clashed with Buck’s coaching staff over playing time throughout the series with the Celtics. If he is unhappy with his minutes, Parker may be looking for another team to sign him to a max deal, which I’m sure he is looking for.

When asked about Jabari’s current state with the team, Giannis made it perfectly clear that he and other players want him to stay. Giannis told reporters how important he is to their future and how valued Jabari is to the organization.

As next season approaches, I look forward to seeing how this story unfolds. 

 

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Review of Bucks Point Guard Eric Bledsoe

It’s definitely safe to say the Bucks improved when Eric Bledsoe joined the team, but does he give them enough to be a top playoff contender?

My opinion is yes–if he takes better care of the ball.

During the Bucks’ first round playoff series against the Boston Celtics, Bledsoe was on and off at best. He would have stretches where he scored, passed well, and defended, but often times, he would suddenly become quite sloppy with the ball. If he is to be a fixture in our offense, he needs to sometimes slow down his pace and look to get others involved instead of isolating and attempting a poor shot, or even losing the ball to the defense.

Although the Bucks’ one and only playoff series was not Bledsoe’s premier clinic, he still did a lot for us throughout the regular season. He because a key facilitator and clicked instantly with star Giannis Antetekounpo. Giannis and Bledsoe played a successful amount of pick and roll offense and this is definitely credit to Bledsoe for ensuring the Buck’s best player is steadily involved.

There was a lot of criticism over Bledsoe’s performance in the playoffs, but I don’t think that should overshadow how well he played most of the season. I look forward to seeing him in a Bucks uniform next season as the Bucks open in their new arena.

 

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Bucks Drop Tough Playoff Game Against Celtics Despite Late Game Heroics

As much as Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo shouldered the burden to give the Bucks a chance to snag a pivotal game 1 victory, their best for the day just wasn’t good enough against a resilient and disciplined Celtics team Sunday afternoon.

The game was filled with stretches by both teams where one shot the ball well, while the other struggled offensively and played poor defense. Heading into the second half, the Bucks found themselves down by 9 and in the midst of a Celtics run. The Bucks dug themselves out of it and evened the score by the end of the third quarter. The Celtics; however, refused to let the Bucks take any sort of substantial lead against them.

Seemingly out of it multiple times, the Bucks refused to give in and turn their attention to game 2. Down 10 points with under 4 1/2 minutes to play, Milwaukee ramped up its defense and used an 8-0 run to make things interesting. Then, with 11.1 seconds left, Malcolm Brogdon launched a three-pointer that tied the game at 96.

The Celtics had a big answer at the other end, and guard Terry Rozier III absolutely buried a clutch three to put the Celtics up 99-96 with .05 seconds remaining in the game.

I watched this game live, and at this very moment in the game, I thought Milwaukee’s luck had run out. They played very well, but I didn’t see it possible for them to save the game yet again. I was proven wrong.

With .05 seconds remaining, the ball was inbounded to guard Khris Middleton, who chucked up a 35 foot prayer which miraculously went in as time expired. The shot was reviewed and it was indeed confirmed that the Middleton had gotten the ball off before the shot clock hit zeros.

Milwaukee’s magic fizzled out in the extra frame, though. The Bucks held a one-point advantage through two minutes but from that point on couldn’t close out possessions with rebounds or muster enough offense to keep up.

Still, the Bucks had their chances. Down two with under a minute left, Middleton picked off a pass to start the break. The ball found guard Malcolm Brogdon, who drove the lane only to have his shot blocked by Celtic’s wing player Jayson Tatum. Brogdon got his own rebound and kicked a pass to Bucks forward Tony Snell in the corner, who launched an off-balance three-pointer that missed the mark. With the shot clock off, the Bucks were forced to foul and Rozier made 5 of 6 free throws down the stretch to close it out.

This was a tough game to watch as a Bucks fan. They played extremely hard throughout, but ultimately the vast amount of turnovers caught up with them. If they want to steal game 2 in Boston, Milwaukee will need to buckle down and take care of the ball, instead of coughing it up nearly 20 times like they did this past game.

 

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Bucks Clinch Playoff Berth

As the regular season winds down, the Bucks will now turn their attention to which opponent they may face in the first round of the playoffs.

After locking up a post season berth, Milwaukee is currently sitting 6th in the eastern conference. They play the Philadelphia 76ers tonight and with a win they will lock up the 6th seed and likely face the 76ers 1st round in the playoffs. A loss could mean Milwaukee slides down to the 7th or 8th seeds and could potentially face either the Raptors or Celtics depending on where they land.

It has been a productive final stretch for Milwaukee, and the team looks to nurse some of their previously injured players back into the rotation. Among these players is guard Malcolm Brogdon, the reigning 6th man of the year. Brogdon has missed 30 games this season due to a quad injury he faced back in February. He is expected to play tonight against the 76ers.

Also coming back from a nagging injury is guard Matthew Dellevadova who has been dealing with a sprained ankle for over two months. Dellevadova has been a productive off the bench player and will likely be a crucial piece for the team to utilize in the post season.

Perhaps the most interesting story the Bucks will face going into the post season is when Giannis Antetokounmpo will return. The team captain has been dealing with a sore ankle for over a week now and will be missing his 2nd straight game tonight. If the Bucks want to make any sort of splash this post season, they will undoubtably need Giannis back.

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Bucks Steal OT Win Against Lakers Despite Giannis’ Poor Shooting Night

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.