Kobe Bryant gave Giannis Antetokoumpo an assignment which was to win the MVP Trophy, his second assignment to Giannis was to win
the Championship but will Giannis deliver the Title this Season? And what happens if he fails once again this Season? What would Giannis’s outlook be on the Bucks going forward into 2020-2021 NBA Season, not that I believe he will pout and demand a trade but does he give it another run with this same exact roster? It’s looking like the MVP Race will be between LeBron James and Giannis Antetokoumpo the rest of the way but enough with the accolades, Stephen A. Smith shredded LeBron James to piece back in 2011 after his loss to the Dallas Mavericks as LeBron acted as if it was no big deal that he lost in the 2011 Finals making jokes about the possibly of playing Football. He said LeBron James had accolades, they called him King James but he couldn’t win the Championship so LeBron’s greatness was in question. It wasn’t till LeBron James won his first Title 2012 against the OKC Thunder that he finally became a future Hall-of-Famer in our eyes.
The Bucks are steamrolling teams, they are at the top in pace and defense meaning they are elite on both ends but if you watched last year’s Eastern Conference Playoffs you would notice the Bucks played a Celtics team running on fumes in the Playoffs and avoided the Sixers which boasted Simmons,Embiid,Butler,and Harris which was beat by the team that eliminated them the Toronto Raptors. Giannis mentioned how he had the Raptors in mind in the latest game where he put on a clinic against them and showed he means business this season. The Raptors have been amazing so far this season but they’ll miss that go to scorer come Playoff time, and yes I know this team went 17-5 last season without Kawhi Leonard but you don’ t become better by losing a Superstar sorry, makes me think of Baseball since the Nationals won the World Series without Bryce Harper who was the face of the Franchise for years but signed with the Philadelphia Phillies. That’s Baseball though, Kawhi Leonard is one of the Top 5 players in the game and an elite 2 way player.
It’s surprising the Bucks have been better without Malcolm Brogdon, I felt he was the best player behind Giannis last season prior to suffering an injury which kept him out for the first round but the Bucks didn’t seem to miss a beat without him. I don’t understand how no one sees how good Malcolm Brogdon is, he has transformed that Indiana Pacers team giving Victor Oladipo relief as he recovers from a injury which kept him out some time. I like Donte DiVincenzo but I doubt he becomes a better player than Malcolm Brogdon, Brogdon was a 50/40/90 player last season and complimented Eric Bledsoe perfectly. Bledsoe had a great season with Dragic in which the Suns went 48-34, if not for injuries the Suns would have made the Playoffs that season. I think if Bledsoe had started alongside Brogdon with the strides Middleton has made this season I would have penciled the Bucks for the Title but I just can’t see them winning it this season.
It’s funny because usually when a player gets their contract they begin to slack off but after Middleton signed his 5 year $178 million dollar contract he has been absolutely lights out. I think Jon Horst dropped the ball not matching the Offer-Sheet Indiana gave Brogdon, I believe when you are building a team you keep the pieces which helped you get to where you made it. Malcolm Brogdon was a big part of the Bucks’s attack last season, sure Giannis Antetokoumpo is a dominant defender,rebounder, and play-maker but he currently lacks a player who can get their own offense consistently through out a series, Malcolm Brogdon was that player. I love Middleton, the Pistons did a poor job with his development and the Bucks have been able to make the guy an All-Star but he’s just not enough as second option on a Championship team in my opinion. Bledsoe? I remember him backing up Chris Paul on the Clippers joining Blake Griffin in aerial-attacks years back telling myself if this guy gets a shot to be a core guy he will be special but I think I was wrong. Bucks fans probably hate me by now but Eric Bledsoe’s shot making ability in the Playoffs should be in question.
Bledsoe is a bully, he can run an offense and defend at an elite level. The man is in the prime of his career but he is also 30 now. Giannis,Middleton,and Bledsoe make up a bulk of the scoring and Lopez is the fourth option and is shooting only 29 percent from 3-point range this season, he shot the 3 pointer at a blistering 37 percent which is absolutely phenomenal for a Center. Brogdon shot close to 43 percent from 3 point range last Season for the Bucks and shot 50 percent from the field which is amazing, not to mention shooting 93 percent from the free-throw line, how do you make that kind of production up? He shared ball-handling duties with Bledsoe and Giannis last season and averaged only 3 assists but he is averaging 7 assists this season since Indiana lacks play-makers beyond himself in Oladipo. I don’t think the Bucks’s offense will get it done in the Playoffs, the games slow down in the Playoffs and the time comes where ball movement can be limited by a defense which can switch everything on the court. I remember the Warriors’ ball movement being stopped by the Houston Rockets the 2018 Western Conference Finals and Kevin Durant needed to take matters into his own hands. The question is who does that for the Bucks?
To conclude the Pacers have something to build with going into next season, a complete healthy Victor Oladipo hopefully,Myles Turner looking to become Defensive Player of the Year next season, Domantas Sabonis is locked in for the next 3 seasons, and the Pacers have scorers in Warren and Lamb who will also help. No one is talking about the Pacers but I would not be shocked to see the Pacers make the Conference Finals if Victor Oladipo can round into form by the time the Playoffs come around, they have a frightening frontcourt of Turner and Sabonis and two all-around guards in Oladipo and Brogdon who can create their own shots off the dribble,shoot,make plays, and defend at a high level. The Bucks gave Bledsoe his extension,they brought back Hill,Middleton, and Lopez but if I was calling the shots I pay Middleton much less than $178 million and fork some of those millions up to Malcolm Brogdon, the Bucks won’t win the Title.
D-NBA 