It's Fun Being the Greek Freak, but Now It's Time to Be More Than a Highlight
MILWAUKEE — It started like the sort of race you have with your kid brother. Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry had the ball near the top of the key, a sizable lead over Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Bucks' 22-year-old star was stuck near the baseline after a failed offensive set during the first quarter of Game 4 of the opening round of the NBA playoffs.
Lowry, transitioning to offense, dashed for the opposite basket, reaching half court without any of Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee teammates in front of him. It appeared, barring a mishap, Lowry would easily score. At about the same moment Lowry reached the lane, Antetokounmpo crossed the half-court line and took two steps before he was airborne. By the time he finished his leap, he was almost at the rim, where he blocked Lowry’s shot—just a moment too late.
An obvious goaltend still drew massive cheers from a raucous crowd at the Bradley Center. It’s the type of athletic feat the Bucks faithful are used to seeing. But the novelty of having one of the game’s greatest talents hasn’t yet worn off for a playoff-starved fanbase that hasn’t seen its team win a playoff series in 16 years.
Even those sitting on press row were awestruck, debating what was the more impressive feat: the unbelievable speed used to catch Lowry or the Olympic-quality broad jump used to meet the Raptors guard at the rim.
It represents a sobering metaphor, though. Now in his fourth season, Antetokounmpo's eye-popping plays and over-stuffed stat lines have only amounted to the equivalent of, well, a meaningless goaltend.
Heading into Thursday night's Game 6 against Toronto, though, he has a chance (however slim it may be with the Bucks down 3-2 in the series) to change that narrative beyond the highlight reel and into what matters—winning, and not just a game in a first-round series, but the series itself.
"You got to be judged by your success," Antentokounmpo said after Game 3 when the Bucks held a 2-1 series lead. "You’ve got to do great things on the court. … It’s about winning. You don’t win, you’re going to be home sitting watching the playoffs from your home."
Up until now, Antetokounmpo's career has been defined by a series of highlights, tweets and Instagram posts. And a never-before-seen skill set has earned him a nickname—the Greek Freak—as sweet sounding as any in sports. All due respect to Swaggy P or Beast Mode.
This intersection of social media and basketball has been a boon to the burgeoning superstardom of the 6'11" Antetokounmpo. He's a modern player for a modern age. He finished the regular season among the top 10 in win shares and box plus/minus, analytics which better measure a player's value than traditional metrics. It should be noted, though, he also finished in the top 10 in blocks and steals.
"The things he’s doing right now—it’s unbelievable," Milwaukee guard Tony Snell said. "He's a hard worker, he's very hungry, he wants to do great and it kind of rubs off on everyone else."
Still unclear is the Greek Freak’s ability to be otherworldly off the court. The demands of superstardom in the NBA exceed that of the other professional sports for many reasons—the smaller size of lineups, the physical toll of playing 82 games or more, the endless sports media debates. The league’s superstars play under much brighter lights, which comes with increasing demands off the court, demands that appear to be testing Antetokounmpo. Last Friday between Games 3 and 4, for example, Antentokounmpo declined to be interviewed. Nearly every other superstar around the league speaks on a daily basis. Still, Bucks veteran Michael Beasley called Antentokounmpo "more mature than I was at that age."
As the young Bucks—average age of Milwaukee’s starters, which include two rookies, is 23.2 years—play for the franchise’s first series win since 2001, questions remain as to whether Antetokounmpo is capable of taking over a series. Even in the age of advanced analytics, stardom in the NBA, more so than any other professional sports league, is measured by the most antiquated of metrics.
Championship rings.
For Hall of Famers without them, greatness comes with a caveat.
Antetokounmpo has time. But Lebron James still has prime years left with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Golden State Warriors' championship window is wide open. The Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder could challenge for championships by adding stars around Isaiah Thomas, Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and Russell Wesbrook, respectively. The upcoming NBA draft is said to be loaded with talent that could entirely alter the current landscape of contending teams.
The Bucks and Antetokounmpo are far from an heir apparent. An upset of the Raptors in this series would be the first step.
"That’s the ultimate goal in every locker room," Beasley said of the pressure to win titles. "Nobody wants to be a 10-win team. Nobody wants to be a 50-win team and lose in the first round. Every locker room, there’s one goal. Once the playoffs start it’s a new season and the first to 16 [wins]."
There are, of course, highlight-reel moments that have tangible impact on a game. During Game 3, Antetokounmpo was beat when Toronto guard Norman Powell shot-faked a corner three. Antetokounmpo recovered and leaped so high that he blocked Powell’s shot with his elbow.
"I thought he could have gotten the rebound," Milwaukee rookie center Thon Maker said while demonstrating how he surmises Antetokounmpo has the coordination to contort his arm and wrist in such a way that would allow him to catch the ball with the same hand, by forming a scoop.
To fans and teammates, Antetokounmpo is a superhero. "That’s a championship play," Snell said. "That’s just what he wants to do."
And what Milwaukee needs.
"We know he’s not short," Bucks coach Jason Kidd joked. "So he has to stay long.
"For Giannis to be able to use his length and be able to change shots and be able to come from the weak side and block shots definitely helps our defense."
Maker says he talks nearly every day with Antetokounmpo about the latter's value to the team. Those conversations underscore the importance of the Greek Freak on every single play.
Though the keen eye may not be able to observe it, Maker sees Antetokounmpo’s importance in the subtleties of the game. There are sets where the Bucks superstar may not even touch the ball.
"He's grown every single day and each game," Maker said.
"Sometimes we can use him as a decoy and it would be crazy. Like he would roll and the defense just sucks in and somebody is wide open for a three. That’s just how much he brings to the table each game and that’s not just a possession here, a possession there. Every possession he’s [the] most valuable."
"He’s a talented player, I said before, once he starts consistently making the jump shot, he's Magic Johnson because he’s 7-foot and can handle the ball and get to where he wants to go in one dribble and that’s a tough combination to cover," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said after Game 4.
That transformation is still ongoing. Antetokounmpo finished the season fourth in the NBA in dunks, according to a stat flashed during Game 4. On the other side of the scale, he connected on less than 35 percent of his shot attempts at least eight feet from the basket. Hitting outside shots with regularity, said Casey, would potentially allow Antetokounmpo to have an impact similar to that of one of the game’s greatest.
For now, however, there is a series to fight through, lessons to be absorbed. Losses against the Raptors have seen Antetokounmpo seemingly on edge in the postgame locker room. After dropping Game 4 in Milwaukee, Antetokounmpo was among the last to leave the locker room. As media members circled around, Bucks swingman Snell had a long, inaudible conversation with Milwaukee’s superstar.
The following day saw Antetokounmpo still dour, evading even basic questions about his practice schedule. Four minutes after he began speaking to the press, he was done, leaving behind so many questions unanswered, so many possibilities yet to be fulfilled.
Seth Gruen is a contributor to Bleacher Report and host of the podcast Big Ten Unfiltered. Follow him on Twitter @SethGruen.
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