Giannis Antetokounmpo Was Out Of His Mind In The Bucks’ Statement Win Over Toronto

Hello, everyone who just finished watching the Milwaukee Bucks drag the Toronto Raptors. Welcome to the place where you can come and fawn over what we just saw out of Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Coming into the postseason, there were some that felt Milwaukee could possibly win this series because it had Antetokounmpo, who may be the most uniquely-skilled basketball player on earth. After one game, those people look really, really smart – the Bucks walked into Toronto and demolished the Raptors, 97-83.

It’s foolish to say that happened for one reason, because basketball is a team game and it requires everyone contributing in one way or another. For example, Greg Monroe had a double-double in his playoff debut (14 points, 15 rebounds), while Kris Middleton came close (10 points, nine assists). Other Bucks youngsters also showed out as Rookie of the Year candidate Malcolm Brogdon went for 16 points and Thon Maker showed flashes of being a problem for opponents as his career progresses, especially on the defensive end.

But oh my goodness, we need to talk about what Greek Freak did. The 22-year-old point forward put up 28 points on 13-for-18 shooting, ripped down eight rebounds, dished out three assists, snagged two steals, and blocked a shot. This happened in 38 minutes of action.

Some of his highlights included this dunk…

…and this dunk…

…and these dunks.

He was also a terror in the open court, best evidenced by this sequence when Maker blocked a shot and, while the Bucks started pushing the ball up the court, Antetokounmpo broke for the rim. He’s a scary mix of fast, long, and explosive, so once he caught the ball from about 10 feet behind the three point line, all Antetokounmpo needed was one dribble to get to the rim.

Oh, and he managed to finish despite getting fouled by Jonas Valanciunas, because he took off from so far away from the hoop that he could take the contact, adjust, and still finish despite the shove in the back.

It cannot be stressed enough that Antetokounmpo is the fourth-youngest player on the Bucks, as only Maker (19), Rashad Vaughn (20), and Jabari Parker (21) are younger. It is possible that he can continue to get better as his career progresses, which is terrifying, as he is already one of the 15-20 best players in the NBA. His game has some flaws – for example, he was 0-for-2 from three in Game 1 and only knocked down 27.2 percent of his shots from behind the arc this season — but that just means there’s plenty of room for more potential growth.

But instead of looking long-term or doing any of that stuff, let’s just be wowed by his game on Saturday afternoon, because it was spectacular. And of course, we’ll be excited to see if he can follow it up with an even better performance in Game 2 on Tuesday and carry the Bucks on a deep playoff run.