As Giannis Antetokounmpo goes, so do the Bucks

Matt Velazquez
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo is facing higher-than-ever expectations this season.

Giannis Antetokounmpo officially arrived as a star in the NBA sky last season.

He established himself as one of the top players in the league, led the Milwaukee Bucks in every major statistical category and became both an all-star and the league's most improved player in his fourth season.

At just 22 years old, Antetokounmpo has become the cornerstone of the Bucks. He's as important — if not more so — to the franchise's building and growth plans as the arena going up next to the BMO Harris Bradley Center that's set to open next season.

When he joined the NBA as an unseasoned 18-year-old out of Greece's second division as the 15th pick in the 2013 draft, many wondered what he could possibly become. Over the past four years, the only thing that's changed has been the intonation of the question, as onlookers have been mystified by what he's accomplished in a short period of time with so much room yet to grow.

The electric, charming, hardworking Antetokounmpo has won the hearts of those in Milwaukee and Wisconsin. It's been easy for them to take the advice of Bucks coach Jason Kidd, who this past spring encouraged them to hitch their wagons to Antetokounmpo and enjoy the ride.

He's also grown in respect among his peers.

This summer retired star Kobe Bryant challenged multiple players to achieve high goals on Twitter. When Antetokounmpo inquired about his task, Bryant responded with just three letters.

MVP.

"That's a great compliment coming from Kobe, one of the greatest players to ever play the game," Antetokounmpo said. "But, you know, you've got to take steps toward that."

More recently, a player who also knows something about being an MVP voiced his excitement about watching Antetokounmpo's growth. Kevin Durant, the 2014 MVP and NBA Finals MVP this past season, has thought highly of Antetokounmpo since the Greek Freak's first season and now considers Antetokounmpo as his favorite player to watch.

"I think Greek Freak is a force and I’ve never seen anything like him," Durant said during a recent YouTube Q&A video. "His ceiling is probably, he could end up being the best player to ever play if he really wanted to. That’s pretty scary to think about but he’s by far my favorite player to watch.”

Antetokounmpo's ceiling may not be visible, but there's little doubt he will greatly affect how the Bucks fare this season. It's impossible for him not to, considering last season he became the first player in NBA history to finish in the top 20 of the five major stat categories — points, assists, rebounds, steals and blocks.

As Antetokounmpo goes, so do the Bucks. The inverse also has been impressed upon him this summer — as the Bucks go, so does Antetokounmpo's individual stock. He has the makings of an MVP candidate, but he won't be if the Bucks don't win.

"Giannis will be great; he will be one of the top whatever number you want to put on it in NBA history," veteran teammate Jason Terry said. "That's because he's a worker. ...

"He's a team guy. When your leader is all about team then you're going to have success. His individual accolades will be predicated on how his team does. He'll lead us in every category like he did last year, but at the end of the day, it's how far will this team go? That's how he'll be judged."

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Building that team success certainly involves improving himself on the court. Known for his astounding work ethic, Antetokounmpo logged countless hours at the team's practice facility and in the weight room in the off-season.

The physical results are noticeable. The 6-foot-11 point-forward is up more than 10 pounds — to 233 — from last year's playing weight (222). He's stronger head to toe and is ready to impose himself more on opposing defenses.

Antetokounmpo also has spent time working on his outside shot, one of the few skills lacking in his all-around game. He's been a reluctant outside shooter, shooting 27.7% on just 451 three-point attempts in his career. The consensus around him this off-season has been that he needs to improve that area if he's going to be great, something Kidd takes issue with.

“He’s already great," Kidd said. "Some would say he doesn’t shoot it well, but we all think he does shoot it well. Because he does so many other things great we try to nitpick at things people can’t do instead of supporting what they can do. …

"The greatest players that have played this game couldn’t do something; there was never a player who could do it all. If he’s the first to do it all then I’m happy I’m on his side.”

It's still early, but the preseason returns have been positive. His teammates have noticed a definite difference in his shooting ability.

"Giannis looks like he got better, which is scary," center Greg Monroe said. "Just overall. His jump shot is the main thing, which that's probably the only thing left he had to work on.”

Outside of the on-court progression, Antetokounmpo has firmly placed himself as the team's No. 1 weapon. He's the star every team will key on, every fan will want to see and every media member will want to talk to. That status also has placed Antetokounmpo in a leadership role on the team, as everyone will look to him in good times and bad.

Kidd has pushed his young star to evolve into a vocal leader. His teammates already look to him on the court to score and make plays, so he needs to use their attention to help bring them along in the right direction while setting the tone at practices.

How Antetokounmpo handles the additional load of leading the team, carrying the burden of expectations and not being able to take anyone by surprise is yet to be seen. He knows the target will be on his back and that under his leadership the Bucks are supposed to take another step this season.

He's undaunted by those expectations.

"We already knew that, I already knew that," Antetokounmpo said. "That's why we've been working all summer."

How high Antetokounmpo and the Bucks rise is in large part up to him. He can't do it alone, but the Bucks can't succeed without him. As Kidd said this April, all anyone can do is hitch on and enjoy the ride.

"We're asking him to be himself, no one else," Kidd said. "I think the big thing is for him to have fun. He's put in the work this summer to get better and now it's just a matter of going out there and playing.

"If he can come anywhere close to what he did last year he'll be in the talks for MVP."