{"id":133412,"date":"2025-04-10T05:38:35","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T09:38:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=133412"},"modified":"2025-04-10T05:38:35","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T09:38:35","slug":"bucks-giannis-antetokounmpo-message-front-office","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/04\/10\/bucks-giannis-antetokounmpo-message-front-office\/","title":{"rendered":"Bucks&#8217; Giannis Antetokounmpo Sends Message To Front Office"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If he\u2019s looking in the mirror, Milwaukee Bucks forward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/antetgi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a> is in the midst of yet another stellar season. The decorated veteran is averaging 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.2 blocks, and 0.9 steals per game. It\u2019s his third straight season posting at least 30 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.5 stocks (steals + blocks) per game.<\/p>\n<h2>Bucks&#8217; Giannis Antetokounmpo Sends Silent Message To Front Office<\/h2>\n<p>Numbers only provide an outline of Antetokounmpo\u2019s masterpiece \u2014 even the advanced or catch-all metrics that have become increasingly popular. Underneath the goofy dad jokes is a <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/03\/06\/bucks-giannis-antetokounmpo-reflects-20k-points-milestone\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">highly ambitious and attentive leader<\/a>. As a result, despite being on the wrong side of 30, he looks better than ever.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">5 minutes of Giannis Antetokounmpo clutch defense <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/15FFijCbNF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/15FFijCbNF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Pitless (@pitlessball) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/pitlessball\/status\/1898829278932045849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">March 9, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s long been terrific when stampeding towards the rim, possessing the strength of a wildebeest but an avian\u2019s aerial acrobatics. He continues to be among the league\u2019s best defenders, whether on- or off-ball. However, the 30-year-old has finally added a reliable jumper to his game. Though it\u2019s from the midrange, it helps him take advantage of the defense as a scorer or playmaker.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Giannis&#8217; THIRD-STRAIGHT triple-double.<\/p>\n<p>23 PTS | 13 REB | 10 AST | 60 FG% <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/NKPo5oGpfO\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/NKPo5oGpfO<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Bucks\/status\/1909811193515999280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 9, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>To that last point, tasked with more ball-handling duties due to <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/l\/lillada01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Damian Lillard<\/a>\u2019s blood clot diagnosis, Antetokounmpo\u2019s averaging an eye-popping 7.2 assists per game since the All-Star Break. Since Lillard\u2019s absence, he\u2019s averaging 8.3 assists per game. Interestingly, despite him hitting teammates for assists at a higher frequency, his turnover rate has been extremely low.<\/p>\n<p>Over the course of the season, he\u2019s been averaging 3.1 turnovers per game, his best mark since 2017-18. Since the All-Star Break, he\u2019s been averaging 2.6 turnovers per game. In \u00a0this stretch without Lillard, he\u2019s averaging 2.3 turnovers per game.<\/p>\n<p>Asked by reporters what\u2019s led to him being such an efficient facilitator and effective decision-maker, Antetokounmpo says:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI feel like when I have the ball, I&#8217;m more poised because I have the ball. I&#8217;m not chasing the ball and when the ball comes to me, I don&#8217;t have to make a decision. Because usually, when I play with Dame, and the ball is swung to me, I got to make a quick decision because they&#8217;re loaded to Dame now. They&#8217;re off me for a second and sometimes I might get myself in trouble.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/FYHnfsD9_BY?si=imQDnb6zwUnAiqB8\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>When I have the ball, I think I feel more poised. I get to my spots easier. I make the extra play \u2014 it might be an assist, or it might be a hockey assist, or a pass that creates an advantage for my teammate&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s almost like when you have the cookie jar and they&#8217;re like, &#8216;Okay, it&#8217;s yours, you can do whatever you want with it.,&#8217; he continues.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you have it, you&#8217;re like &#8216;Okay, nobody&#8217;s going to take it from me.&#8217; So you can take your time. But when the cookie jar is being passed around and your mom is like, &#8216;Ah! You can only have one&#8217; &#8230; then you&#8217;re kind of in a hurry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Summing up his thoughts, Antetokounmpo relays: \u201cI feel like when you have the ball more, you have more patience making plays and you&#8217;re not in a rush.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For many, what sticks out about these comments is Antetokounmpo\u2019s unwitting admission that he\u2019s more comfortable without Lillard.<\/p>\n<p>The duo had notable difficulty in their efforts to build chemistry, but sounded as if they <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/01\/19\/giannis-and-dames-growing-chemistry\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">truly clicked this season<\/a>. If Antetokounmpo is talking like this though, perhaps there\u2019s still trouble in paradise. A player with Lillard\u2019s scoring ability is a weapon, even if it\u2019s not completely necessary. Nevertheless, the Bucks were at their best with defensive-minded point guards like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/holidjr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jrue Holiday<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Rather than Lillard or Holiday, Khris Middleton was their secondary scorer and playmaker.<\/p>\n<p>With that in mind, Middleton has since been replaced by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/k\/kuzmaky01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kyle Kuzma<\/a>, whom Milwaukee traded for at the deadline. Unfortunately, Kuzma\u2019s been <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/04\/01\/kyle-kuzma-showing-bucks-something-lakers-fans-are-aware-of\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">underwhelming since the trade<\/a>, at least offensively. In 30 games, he\u2019s averaged 14.3 points per contest with a 1:1 assist-to-turnover ratio and shooting 29.6 percent from 3.<\/p>\n<p>All of which begs the question: how long will Lillard and Kuzma last as Antetokounmpo\u2019s sidekicks?<\/p>\n<p>In the offseason, the Bucks should look to move both Lillard and Kuzma. One such scenario could see them <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/03\/03\/3-kevin-durant-trade-destinations\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">making an offer<\/a> for Phoenix Suns forward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/duranke01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kevin Durant<\/a>, whose skillset complements Antetokounmpo\u2019s quite well. His soft shooting stroke, underrated basketball IQ, and defensive ability all fit smoothly on paper.<\/p>\n<div class=\"modal-image-setImageMetadata\">\n<p class=\"ng-binding\">\u00a9 Jim Rassol-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If he\u2019s looking in the mirror, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is in the midst of yet another stellar season. The decorated veteran is averaging 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.2 blocks, and 0.9 steals per game. It\u2019s his third straight season posting at least 30 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.5 stocks [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":133477,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15,1608,62,3,28,4721],"tags":[187,306,69,1128],"class_list":["post-133412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bucks","category-basketball","category-nba","category-news","category-suns","category-trade-rumors","tag-damian-lillard","tag-giannis-antetokounmpo","tag-kevin-durant","tag-kyle-kuzma"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5008"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=133412"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133412\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":133478,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133412\/revisions\/133478"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/133477"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=133412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=133412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=133412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}