Giannis Antetokounmpo has been better to start this season than he was during his MVP campaign a year ago. He’s been truly preposterous, averaging 29.9 points, 13.9 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game entering Monday night’s showdown with the Utah Jazz.
After a slow start saw the Jazz take a 57-48 lead at the break, Antetokounmpo and the Bucks hit their stride in the second half to erase that deficit and pick up a 122-118 win. Giannis was, per usual, the star of the show for Milwaukee as he posted his second career 50-point game, adding 14 rebounds, six assists, and two steals in the come from behind win.
Antetokounmpo was 17-of-31 from the field, including 3-of-8 from three-point range, as he continues to show flashes of potential from distance — even as he entered the game shooting just 29.2 percent from deep. The Jazz, who were without Rudy Gobert on the night, had no answers for Giannis getting to the rim, and the reigning MVP put forth an early signature performance as he seeks a second-straight award as the league’s best player.
The best from The Greek Freak:
50 PTS | 14 REB | 6 AST | 2 STL | 55% FG pic.twitter.com/dl8bUUFucF
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) November 26, 2019
The start to the season for Giannis has been spectacular and, if anything, it’s not being talked about as much as it should be. What he’s doing is unheard of, but, as with LeBron James, it’s become almost the expectation for Antetokounmpo to put up ludicrous stat lines. The other part of it is, the Bucks are arguably the NBA’s most known commodity, with all the questions about the team being about their postseason performance, not whether they can dominate in the regular season.
That creates a scenario where even impressive wins in the regular season don’t draw tons of accolades, but what Giannis is doing commands your attention, even if it’s become the rule rather than the exception.
