Damian Lillard’s performance dipping when Giannis Antetokounmpo is on the floor isn’t a straightforward “he’s worse” situation—it’s more about fit, usage, and how their games mesh (or don’t) on the Milwaukee Bucks as of February 26, 2025. Lillard joined the Bucks in 2023 to pair with Giannis, forming a superstar duo. Yeah, remember Giannis shouting about “winning it the right way” and not wanting to be part of a superteam? Well the on-court results have shown some serious lack of basketball IQ on Giannis’ part. Let’s break down why Lillard’s numbers and impact tend to take a hit when sharing the court with Giannis, based on stats, playstyle clashes, and team context.
We all know that Dame was Giannis’ choice. As was losing Jrue. As was trading Khris. So let’s take a closer look at the first of these three wrong decisions.
First, look at the numbers this season. Lillard’s averaging 25.8 points, 7.2 assists, and 4.5 rebounds overall, with a 42.9% field goal percentage and 35.8% from three. But in lineups with Giannis, his scoring drops slightly—per NBA advanced stats, Lillard’s usage rate falls from 31.2% when Giannis is off to around 27% when they’re together. Giannis, a ball-dominant force (32.7 points, 11.7 rebounds, 6.2 assists), commands the offense with a 33.8% usage rate. Both thrive with the ball in their hands—Lillard as a pick-and-roll maestro, Giannis as a freight train in transition and the paint. (And I am not using the term “freight train” in a positive way here. He misses way too many at the rim, waaay too many free throws and he ruins the flow by playing like that. )
When they share the floor, Lillard often cedes primary creation duties, shifting to more off-ball roles like spot-up shooting, which isn’t his natural strength. Let’s re think that, eh? The experienced ball handler cedes to the forward that leads in travelling and other violations…
Their playstyles amplify this. Lillard’s elite skill is his deep-range shooting and ability to break down defenses in isolation or pick-and-roll sets—he’s historically taken 30+ footers and orchestrated late-game possessions. Giannis, meanwhile, clogs the paint and excels driving downhill, but his lack of a reliable jumper (20% from three this year) lets defenses sag off him, shrinking the floor. Opponents build a “wall” against Giannis, packing the lane, which can cramp Lillard’s driving lanes and force him into contested mid-range shots or kickouts. Cleaning the Glass data shows the Bucks’ offensive rating drops to 114.2 with both on, compared to 117.8 with Lillard alone—suggesting less efficiency together.
Spacing is a big culprit. Giannis’s presence draws double-teams inside, but without consistent outside shooting from him, defenses don’t respect the Bucks’ perimeter as much. Lillard’s three-point attempts per game are down to 8.2 this season from 10.5 in his last Portland year, and his catch-and-shoot opportunities haven’t fully clicked—his effective field goal percentage on threes dips from 58% solo to 54% with Giannis, per Second Spectrum tracking. Milwaukee’s supporting cast (like Brook Lopez or Khris Middleton) helps, but the lack of synergy between the stars leaves Lillard less room to operate his preferred game.
Defensively, it’s not a huge factor, but it’s worth noting. Lillard, at 6’2” and 34 years old, isn’t a lockdown guy—he’s targeted in switches, averaging 0.7 steals but often a step slow. Pairing them means opponents attack Lillard, pulling Giannis into help situations that can disrupt their rhythm. This doesn’t directly make Lillard “worse” offensively, but it tires him out, potentially sapping his scoring punch.
Then there’s the adjustment factor. In Portland, Lillard was the unquestioned alpha, running 35-40 minutes of heliocentric offense. With Giannis, he’s adapting to a co-star role under coach Doc Rivers, who leans heavily on Giannis’s physicality. It is hard not to emphasize the hole that the Bucks have dug themselves into by promoting Giannis as the ultimate MVP player all the time. The pressure on Dame is unfair and constant from day one.
Lillard’s assist numbers creep up with Giannis (7.5 vs. 6.8 without), showing he’s facilitating more, but his scoring efficiency takes a hit—true shooting percentage drops from 60.1% solo to 57.8% together. He’s less comfortable deferring or playing second fiddle, especially when Giannis’s freight-train drives don’t always set up Lillard’s preferred catch-and-shoot looks. All too often Giannis simply gets caught up in traffic and makes a bad desperation pass with no clock left and every opponent 100% certain that Dame has to take that shot.
Contrast this with Giannis’s prior pairing with Khris Middleton, a better spacer (38.5% from three this year) who complemented Giannis by stretching defenses without needing the ball as much. Lillard’s ball-dominant style overlaps with Giannis’s, and neither is a natural off-ball mover like a Steph Curry. Fans often point this out—some argue Lillard looks “lost” or “disengaged” when Giannis dominates, a sentiment echoed in games like their February 25 loss to Houston, where Lillard shot 5-for-14 with Giannis on.
It’s not that Lillard’s inherently worse with Giannis—it’s that their strengths haven’t fully synced. Lillard’s at his best creating in space; Giannis consumes space. Until the Bucks tweak their scheme—more stagger minutes, better spacing lineups, or Lillard embracing off-ball movement—the numbers and eye test suggest he’s less effective in this tandem than he could be alone.
For me the biggest problem is how everyone treats Dame. As if Giannis is too sacred to criticise. It is always Dame’s fault if the Bucks lose. This is inaccurate and unfair. Dame has regretted being traded for sure as he is wasting his last good years on a team that clearly cannot work with a Giannis who lacks the IQ to change.
Is Giannis requesting a trade? Will he be goat? Will he win another ring? This is what people are asking Google. But then they also seem to very often ask “is Giannis injured” and “will he be playing tonight?”
The Warriors have often been suggested as a potential trade target for Giannis. This reflects in Google searches. But not in reality.
People love to play the “what if” game, imagining some sort of ultra team which would include their favorite players. Here is why Giannis will stay with the Warriors forever though:
He has said so many times. This is the weakest of arguments. He may well be saying one thing officially but simultaneously allowing rumours to spread.
He has made a big thing in the past about not joining ‘superteams’. Again he has backpedalled on this one, getting Lillard for starters. So doesn’t seem very valid.
The Bucks have no incentive to make a trade. Why on earth would they ever allow it? So essentially he would have to ask for it. After all he has said about loving it there and the people and the city etc. Again, this is possible.
So the commonly used reasons are weak. Here are the more realistic problems with Giannis going to another NBA team:
4. He would have to pick a championship contender. Which current championship contender would even be able to combine Giannis in their roster though? Nobody! Here are the current bookie favourites for 2024-25 NBA Championship Odds:
5. Giannis can’t play that kind of ball! Celtics, Thunder, Cavaliers, Nuggets rely on fast moving, extremely technical tactical basketball. Giannis knows one kind of game, the one where he brings the ball down and tries to dunk. They don’t need that, they don’t want that, he could not possibly fit with any of those teams. He lacks the speed of thought and the ability to understand advanced plays and basketball systems.
6. Other teams would have to trade everything to get him. If the Knicks wanted him for example, they would essentially swap their existing super stars to get him. So the Bucks would become like the Knicks (currently 3d in the East) and the Knicks would be…well nothing. At best 5th in the East like the Bucks are now. So what is the point?
7. The way Giannis has been promoted these past years has greatly reduced the trade value of all other players on the Bucks. Even Dame would likely not get much anymore because everyone was too busy blaming him since he came to the Bucks. So forget any interesting joint trade package. The Bucks have no chips to sit at the table with.
8. Giannis is a seriously limited player, incompatible with the way the game is now played. He is one of the worse ball screeners, he doesn’t understand angles, he has the worse 3point shot in the history of the NBA, his free throws are getting worse, he is terrible in clutch situations. In essence a dinosaur. Don’t be fooled by the stat padding, the truth appears in the playoffs and harder matchups. He suddenly has no mid range and looks lost if his one trick pony approach doesn’t work.
9. He seems to like the narrative of being a sole hero on a useless team. So why not continue? Everyone at the Bucks will treat him like a gracious hero and loyal player. He can pretend it was his choice to stay. He can smash various franchise records with the help of a team designed around him.
10. He has an easy and obvious out. Returning to Greece to play with one of the Euroleague contenders. By then he can claim some old injury if he fails there too. But again he will be treated like a returning here in Greece.
So rejoice Bucks fans! Looks like Giannis will stay in Milwaukee for a long time yet!
Here are the minutes per game in the Bucks’ championship year.
A nice, even spread, five players above thirty minutes all
close to each other. Eight after that also with meaningful minutes. This season it’s too early (Giannis missing games, Kuzma new in the rotation) but we can use last season to compare.
That’s only 3 players above 30 minutes and only 6 above 20. So we have an older team in which fewer players are holding the ball for longer! And of course the prime suspect is Giannis who is holding the ball much more than in the championship year.
So he sold away his friend Jrue to get Lillard the great ball handler and…Giannis handles the ball more instead of less! Pat and Brook have about the same possessions as they got back then, which isn’t much. About 9 and 5 usually which is basically nothing, they get the ball if everything else goes wrong or by accident. Khris fell from 18 to 11 due to injuries this season.
At this point Bucks fans usually say “so what?” Giannis “has to” go above and beyond every night in order to win? But how does that help? He is clearly not helping his team improve like this. Maybe he should pay more attention to his GOAT Lebron who often doesn’t even score in the first quarter but takes a support role trying to get his team mates going.
Just for comparison, this is the Memphis Grizzlies this season. Notice how evenly the playing time is spread across their players, resulting in them being much more energetic as a team. Oh and they are second in the standings.
Why not both? Well, of course someone can feel as if he belongs to multiple countries. No reason not to. And Giannis has multiple influences due to his amazing life story. But let’s hear it from him:
A great interview indeed. “A lot of people think my mom or my dad are from Greece, but no. Both of my parents are black. Both of my parents are Nigerian.”
“I grew up in a Nigerian home,” Antetokounmpo said. “Obviously, I was born in Greece and went to school in Greece. But at the end of the day when I go home, there is no Greek culture. It’s straight-up Nigerian culture. It’s about discipline, it’s about respecting your elders, having morals.”
Well that is pretty clear. In fact he throws shade on Greeks as people that don’t respect their elders and don’t have morals.
It was clear that the NBA wanted to promote into Africa using Giannis and other players.
But it didn’t work out and they retracted that whole effort. Africa is too focused on soccer. It just didn’t work. So Giannis redirected to Greece which was easier. Win win, sponsorship in both countries gallore!
Giannis confusion and lack of clarity is best described by the way he closes the interview: “There were a lot of times when I was in Greece where people said, ‘You’re not Greek. You’re Nigerian because you’re black.’ But then there have been a lot of times where it’s been the opposite, where people say, ‘You’re not African. You’re Greek. You’re ‘The Greek Freak.’ ’ But I don’t really care about that. Deep down, I know who I am and where I am from. That’s all that matters to me.”
Does it matter what Giannis feels like he is? Unless you are a racist, not really. But it does seem a bit hypocritical when he lays on the emotion for all three of his countries. Because now he is also American. That’s where he lives, that’s were he makes his money, that’s where he married and had kids.
“This is my home” and “this is my city”, right in the US of A. Again and again. A Greek politician wrote an interesting article on this topic that is worth reading in whole:
“IS GIANNIS GREEK?
The term “Greek-American”, I suppose we all know . I also assume we understand what it means: someone who is originally from Greece and lives in America. The term does not specify whether he or she was born in Greece or descended from parents, grandparents or great-grandparents who are Greek. It does not specify whether he or she speaks good Greek, goes to church every Sunday, visits Greece often, or owns property here. He does not specify where his ancestors lived in 1500 AD, 500 AD or 500 BC. He does not specify if all his ancestors were Greek or if there was a grandmother who was English, German, Irish. So, without defining the factors that shape ethnic identity, we can’t determine the percentage of Greek and American that make up John Pappas’ personality, can we? There is the 5th generation Greek-American who doesn’t even know where Greece is on the map, there is the Greek-American who left to the US to study, stayed and married there, comes back at least once a year, and keeps dreaming of returning. If the former is 5% Greek and 95% American, the latter is the reverse.
So, someone who was born to Nigerian parents in Greece and grew up, went to school, made his bones here and now has a career in America is both Nigerian to some extent, Greek to some extent, and American to some extent. At the same time. The ratio depends on many objective factors. If Giannis puts down roots in America, after 40 years “American” will greatly increase his percentages compared to “Greek” and “Nigerian”, does anyone disagree? But it also depends on a subjective: how he feels. And Giannis has told us how he feels: A Greek of Nigerian descent. Makes sense, doesn’t it? Could it be something else?
And because he has Greek nationality, he plays for the Greek national team and represents us like Mirella Maniani, Kachi Kahiasvili or Artiom Kuregian used to represent us, none of whom are natives of our country. Do we mind? I don’t mind at all. In a world without barriers, blood is stirring. George Papandreou has 37.5% Greek blood (25% from his grandfather and 12.5% from his Polish great-grandfather’s wife). But that didn’t stop him from becoming prime minister. So I can’t understand either those who launch fireworks like “Giannis is much more Greek than some people who…” or the others, on the opposite side, who resent him for wearing the national team jersey being the presumably best player in the world. And because many of them are also divine, I remind them that St. Moses, whose memory the Orthodox Church commemorates on August 28, is called “the Ethiopian” and was a currant, blacker than John. If God accepted him into the bosom of holiness (he was even a thief before he repented), why don’t you, my god, accept John into the bosom of Greek basketball?
I remember many darker players, who were cheered by the nation when they led the Greek teams and the National Team to distinctions: from the late Roy Tarpley, who had given Aris the European Cup in 1993, to Sophocles Schorsianitis, who is also blacker than Giannis. Not to mention many other legendary names of the Greek courts, basketball and football, who had no trace of Greek blood in their veins. In all the great Greek basketball teams, foreigners outnumber Greeks, but we don’t mind if they represent Piraeus, the Athens Trifylli, Thessaloniki, the Union of Constantinople. And even with annual contracts – today I am, tomorrow I am not – without speaking Greek. So if it is convincing for them to feel honoured, as Marcelo said (in English), wearing the red (green, yellow, etc.) jersey, why does it seem unconvincing that Giannis feels the same honour with the national team jersey?
There is, of course, a difference. The other players came to the country legally, not by crossing the border, as Giannis’ family did. This difference leads some to the bulletproof conclusion that those who are proud (I’m one of them) of Giannis striding half the court in three steps before he nails it are also pro-illegal immigration (I’m not one of them). Adding to the misunderstanding is the fact that the “solidarity” side uses a stupid argument: if Giannis hadn’t come to Greece, his talent would not have been showcased. So, we should let the Afro-Asian militias come in, in case some great basketball or even curling talent emerges, who knows! The reasoning is of similar wisdom to “if it hadn’t been for the Asia Minor Catastrophe, your grandfather wouldn’t have come from Ayvali, he wouldn’t have known your grandmother from Faliro, so you wouldn’t have existed.” Does that mean you owe a debt of gratitude to Kemal? Do you know how much talent is now lost somewhere in the depths of Africa?
Must all of Africa migrate to Sepolia to become known for their talents? However, we know very well how much Greek talent is leaving a country that has become a dystopian nightmare, and because of illegal immigration. If I had to weigh up the sporting, scientific, artistic, etc. talents that emerged from the mass invasion on the one hand, and the transformation of my country into a multicultural mob and Athens into Islamabad on the other, I would a thousand times rather we lost those talents, and Giannis included, and regained the Greece we had in the 1960s. Look at Omonia, Panepistimiou and Patision in movies of the era and do the comparison.
But because time does not turn back, John is a good case study. His family didn’t come to avoid war, but to find a better fortune. They tried to survive by working. Yes, by trafficking, but not by crime. They gave their four children, born here, Greek names. Yes, and Nigerian so as not to be cut off from their roots, but Greek prevailed. As Giannis he is known around the world, not as Sina Ugo. Greek Freak is his nickname, not Greek-Nigerian. That means assimilation. He didn’t go to the KNE to join the whole world’s infernos, he went to the Philathlete. He chose instead of walking up and down the Stadium protesting, he ran up and down the floor declaring – both in words and deeds – that he will try hard to escape his “fate”.
He was baptized an Orthodox Christian along with his brother Alexander, a significant Greek date: October 28 (in 2012, when he was 17 years old). The parish priest of St. Meletius was his mentor. “I don’t remember him ever complaining or feeling hurt by life and being aggressive towards society,” says the (highly regarded) Fr. Evangelos Ganas, and adds: “What I can’t forget was the look in John’s eyes. There was an innocence and a hope. There was no fear and resentment.” Certainly, a much more Christian attitude than that of the knife-wielding guardian, who, when, in his first matches with the national team, Giannis was trying to find his role, was rejoicing, along with his dark-skinned, African-faced protégé, that the national team lost but the “Nigerian” did not score a point, concluding from this that… God is Greek (and, of course, white), and apparently punished us for putting black on the team, so we lost. (I guess he saved it for us in the game against Germany, too.)
Giannis kisses the national flag, waves the Greek flag and refuses to… stain it with his signature, when his Greek-American fans ask him to do so, while some natives claim the right to burn it. He participates in films with social messages, offering his gold-plated image for free. He has charitable social work that keeps him away from the cameras. If that doesn’t show loyalty and devotion to Greece and its values, what does? So, the path of this child proves that there are, among the bereaved, those who can integrate, want to integrate and, in doing so, benefit both our society and themselves. And it makes the need to separate the wheat from the chaff even more urgent.
I don’t want to be misunderstood: for those who have already come! Our borders (and incentives) must be closed tightly for any new invaders, even if we lose new talent. I won’t mention how here, I’ve written dozens of articles on the subject, but I’ll emphasize once again that those who want to integrate show it early and in the details.
These details will determine whether they will be naturalized as Greek citizens (i.e. obedient). Because for every Yannis who wants to be Greek, there are thousands of Ahmed and Mohamad who don’t. When you give citizenship, without any criteria, to Afro-Asians, 99% Muslims, with the only condition that they have lived 4-5 years or have been born in Europe, at some point, the whole of Europe will become an Islamic caliphate, through democratic procedures. So, rightly, John did not get Greek citizenship when he was a child, even though he was born here. The same should apply to all immigrants. The concept of citizenship should also be legally separated from nationality, with the main difference being the right to vote. (Other differences could be the degree of access to social and welfare programs and to health care benefits.)
An immigrant, even if he becomes a European citizen, will not vote and, of course, will not be elected. This right will be granted, from the second generation onwards, if certain criteria are met. If they are not met, not even for great-grandchildren! Why should the 3rd descendant of a Pakistani family living in an Islamic ghetto get the right to vote, the same or worse than his grandparents? European experience (and relevant research) proves that 2nd and 3rd generation Muslim immigrants are twice as likely to be more bigoted and live more marginalized lives than the 1st generation. Why should they vote? To send Islamic parties and crypto-jihadist MPs to European parliaments?
John’s family was not Muslim. His mother dressed fashionably, she wanted to look European. She left her children free, to be kneaded into the society of their new homeland. They made Greek friends and had relationships with Greek women. They made these multi-racial but ONLY-POLITICAL couples, who I said I was happy to see living as Greeks, in a speech I gave – about the danger of Islamism – and I was attacked by the whole cesspool of uneducated patriots. Yannis’ brother Kostas is preparing, I hear, to marry one of “our” girls. Good crowns! Why not rejoice in the joy of people who loved not only Greece but also its culture, our way of life and want to live like us, here? Because their skin is dark? A little darker than Skourletis’, are we going to make an issue of it?
But there is another parameter, which I have to touch on and I leave it last: the percentage of foreign elements that are assimilated. A society has a limit of resistance to the incorporation of foreign elements. If it exceeds it, it loses its cohesion and its identity. I would not want the country to be flooded with Nigerians, even if they all had John’s intentions and good nature. Nor by Monegasques. A society with Greeks, with all its vices, is a recognizable and largely predictable society, and that gives you security. It’s your home, where you know its “houja”. Like when the ceiling is dripping and you know where to put the plastic bowl if it rains heavily. Being around strangers is intimidatingly unpredictable. And that limit of endurance has long since been exceeded.
That is why we are happy every time John “shoots” the opposing basket, but we are deeply concerned about the spike in crime caused by those who did not choose his path. We protest that they are not being deported and we regret that John has left the country, voluntarily. He too is a Greek boy (of Nigerian origin, at least) who had to emigrate to live his dream. Because the Greek taxpayer also paid for his own development, education and health, but now this investment is paying off in another economy. Just like the huge investment lost due to the brain drain. How many of the 300,000 or so young Greeks who “score” in technology and science in other countries will return to Greece at a productive age and how many will become the new generations of Greek-Americans, Greek-Australians, Greek-Canadians, etc. permanent residents abroad?
So Giannis declares himself to be Greek. But, we all know, that every year he will become more American. That is, less Greek. Like the 300,000 Greek refugees of the crisis. Therein lies the problem.”
For anyone that lasted reading all that but, more importantly, for those seeing how Giannis promotes himself, the conclusion is clear: Giannis is like the wind. He will say whatever it takes depending on the situation. He will pretend to be emotional about being Greek one day. Hey they let him lead the Olympic team even though he hardly ever turns up for the national team during the year. “Milwaukee is home” the next minute. And he will wax lyrical about his Nigerian roots if the NBA tells him to or some sponsor there pays enough.
So this clip is doing the rounds with Bucks’ fans:
Of course they cut out the part where Melo takes the ball straight from this “block” and scores a beautiful clean mid range getting nothing but net:
For starters, why was Giannis even on the floor? Khris wasn’t in the fourth quarter of a blowout. There was no point but of course Giannis always trying to stat pad, eh? And then you wonder why he is injured again? Here are the Bucks’ points in the fourth quarter of this loss.
I mention this because he still does it and he is again injured. This is a permanent problem with Giannis in the regular season, no basketball IQ. It is also clear in something else he still does.
Giannis doesn’t understand angles in defence. At this stage of the game, OKC are clearly not even trying since they are twenty points ahead. They are loading on the right side mainly due to boredom and lack of effort. So Melo goes 1on1 against Giannis who essentially gives him 1/3 of the court! And because he is playing like he is, no other defender is covering (for example against the spin move). Giannis is dangerous for everyone on the court. In the regular season most just try to stay safe and away from him. What you call “an amazing recovery” I call a dangerous explosion for no good reason. It truly is like playing with a ten year old.
Oh and of course it was goal tending! Here are the stats for last season, Giannis up there at 6th most goal tending whistles. (He gets away with some, like he got away with this one.)
And of course Giannis was squarely beaten by Melo overall in the game. Not just the Bucks losing but Melo had solidly better contributions.
Just to explain again, this is 100% goal tending. It doesn’t matter if it was still going up. Which it wasn’t. More like at the apex of the trajectory. But it is clearly over the cylinder of the rim, as per the rules.
Remember these camera angles are behind the basket so the ball is at least half over the rim cylinder.
But this isn’t even the worse regarding this clip. Because the Bucks promote it as proof of Giannis “amazing recovery speed”. But to summarise more objectively:
Giannis was on the court for no good reason in a blowout loss.
He fouled Melo multiple times before all this.
He was playing defense all wrong one on one leaving 1/3 of the court free.
Melo did a beautiful move on him that worked.
Giannis clearly committed goal tending.
Melo scored anyway.
And THIS is paraded as a clip where we should be admiring Giannis? Do you all realize the damage you do to him like this? It is as if the entire basketball world treats Giannis like a spoilt child to whom nobody tells the truth.
And now it is all falling apart because – as the Greek saying goes – “lies have short legs”.
Many years from now it will be shared in business school as an obvious blunder of epic dimensions. A franchise in a ‘small market’ (untrue but that is how it is presented) wins a championship after many years thanks to an amazing MVP player that everyone loves. And then…. constant failure as they drove themselves into the ground for another half century.
But how?
The rise of the Bucks I have documented here. They carefully traded players that could play around Giannis’ many weaknesses. And they won the NBA finals! Dream rag to riches story both for Giannis and the Bucks franchise. And that’s when the mistakes started:
Overpromising. “Khris let’s run it back!” said an exuberant Giannis on winning the chip. Many players say this. It’s only natural when you are on top of the world. The problem is that they acted as if it would be easy. As if they deserved that championship. They didn’t.
Running it back. It quickly became apparent that the team was nowhere near the other contenders. But the Bucks didn’t change anything. Some players read the signs and had had enough of the Giannis’ bullshit. Everyone was annoyed by the way he hogged the spotlight. But the media knew, anyone that knows ball knew. Giannis only got 1 vote for 1st place in MVP the next year. It was over. We all knew he can’t do clutch. And it just got worse because…
Make it OK to blame everyone else. It’s either the coaching staff or the rest of the roster. And this is official, from the top, the Bucks’ marketing machine is promoting Giannis as the ultimate tool so indirectly answering the question “what is to blame for our failures?” with “well, must be something other than Giannis!”
Catch22 of killing trade value for the rest of the roster. The Bucks are so busy protecting their investment in Giannis that they don’t realize that they are effectively killing their potential for trades. The NBA is no longer about throwing money around to get players. It is only about what assets you have that others want. But when you are constantly using the narrative of Giannis being perfect and everyone else to blame? Beverley , George Hill, Donte DiVincenzo were practically worthless as trade assets by the time the Bucks gave them away.
Hiding Giannis in the playoffs with pretend injuries. It really doesn’t matter if he was genuinely injured or it was a ploy. The Bucks would have lost those series anyway. The fact of the matter is that they have hyped Giannis to overplay in the regular season by promoting his stats above everything and everyone else.
Giannis weaknesses become apparent to all. This year they tried to spread the myth of Giannis mid range shot. It isn’t true of course. The NBA has moved ahead, the game is played in a way which makes Giannis almost irrelevant in the playoffs. Running and dunking, bully ball in the paint, only works in regular season match ups where the opponents don’t want to risk injury. Players like Wemby have the complete package. Giannis saying “I won’t take 3s” in a league of 3s is simply stupid. Especially when he is shooting the worse of any player in NBA history.
So what will happen? These playoffs they will hope to get to the second round at least. Then they can pretend that
“with a few additions”
“with some changes to the coaching staff”
“with different tactics”
or some other equally hairbrained excuse for dumbies, they will have a better chance next year. Then the season will roll as always, with the Bucks killing themselves to be high in the rankings in the regular season and failing again abysmally in the playoffs. Eventually Giannis will demand a trade if he has run out of excuses or if they lose badly enough from the first round.
And it will be too late.
Even without the significant potential for injury with the way he plays, the league has moved ahead without him. It’s not just his lack of 3. Giannis’ biggest problem is that he is one of the worse screeners in the NBA, he simply doesn’t understand angles at all. He can’t play advanced systems or even understand them. He can’t switch fast enough. He trains in such a stupid way that he is getting worse at free throws even. And most of all he is a victim of his own myth. He actually believes he is one of the best players in the NBA even though he lacks connections to the other players in meaningful ways and most don’t want him on their teams.
So even if he changes team, Giannis will fail. Badly. Maybe a team that wants him to try hard in the regular season so they can rest their aging superstars for the playoffs. Will his ego allow him such a role? Can he handle being benched in the playoffs? In any case the Bucks will be without options, without a young core for the future and with a sad memory of what they think could have been.
Feel free to use this for your MBA reading material. Don’t forget to play sad violin music while you read.
*Giannis isn’t a fail story of course for himself personally, he is so rich that all this is almost irrelevant to him even if his career keeps on this downhill trajectory.
Giannis missing the All Star game really is great for the NBA. For starters he is boring as hell to watch. Really doesn’t contribute to the glamour or spectacle of the All Star weekend, just makes it awkward usually. Do you remember the Anteto brothers in the skills contest? Yeah, exactly.
When the lights shine brightest Giannis and his clan simply never deliver. Even mic’ed up he is boring as watching paint dry:
This is fine. Not every NBA player can be spectacular. Giannis is boring in the way he plays and slightly amusing sometimes when he cracks jokes in a way that appeals to a few fans. The more important reason for Giannis to sit out games is that the Bucks simply play better without him:
That is the box score against the 76ers yesterday, a well rounded team performance. The ball moves better, defence is more agile. This isn’t just about Plus-Minus Metrics or APM. Offensive and defensive ratings are different and it really shows up what a practical problem Giannis is on the floor for any team with his lack of flexibility and emphasis on personal stat padding.
I would go as far as to claim that it is even good for Giannis. He needs to take some time to reflect on the mess he has created in the Bucks over the years with his dumb demands and direct or indirect influence over trades all these years. His emphasis on strength training which has ruined his shooting. The way he stat pads and ruins the game flow. He needs to get people around him that don’t suck up and tell him facts as they are: he has low basketball IQ and needs help on the court. It simply isn’t working. The championship was a massive lucky fluke. He needs to rethink the way he shuns working with other NBA stars. He needs to rethink his whole approach to the game and training for it.
Team chemistry and morale, the changes in playing style and strategy and of course the much increased opportunities for other players. Everyone bad mouthing the coaching staff now gets to see what they can do with players that can execute without Giannis impeding them. This Bucks team without Giannis is just that: a team.
Bucks’ fans like to think that everyone in the league would love Giannis on their team. Nothing could be further from the truth:
Giannis is an incredibly inflexible player. To put it bluntly he can basically just do one thing well.
Modern winning NBA is fast paced and extremely agile. Giannis isn’t. He can be fast but only downhill, with the ball in his hands and plenty space.
On almost every metric, Giannis is worse than his prime MVP, DPOY and championship years. This includes not just free throws and 3pt% where he is at the bottom of the league but secondary stats like steals and such.
Giannis has been spoilt by the Bucks for more than a decade, getting everything he asks for in and outside the court. Again people like to say he was “sad” when Jrue left or “like brothers” with Khris but of course he signed off on every trade.
Giannis is absolutely terrible in clutch situations. Extremely low IQ and it shows. Other coaches and other players can see it even if you can’t. More than a decade in the NBA, almost every year early exits from the playoffs.
Giannis simply cannot understand advanced plays. He started playing late in life and has no understanding of the complexities of the game.
Do some teams want him anyway? Of course they do! He is a regular season monster, especially in games that nobody cares much about with his sheer insistence and energy. But it is working less and less. Many teams can shut him down with just one defender. His moves are predictable.
But most other players don’t want to be anywhere near him. Over the years he has proved he can make everybody look bad. His lovable character bellies the fact that he is merciless in the final effect. Which is to always try to look like he is the only one on the team succeeding. Furthermore he doesn’t have social relationships with other players in the league from other teams other than his ex team mates. He doesn’t train with them in the summer, he doesn’t talk to them during the season. He has an infantile approach to the NBA (Jaylen Brown is spot on) which is a universe away from the way other players collaborate and compete.
So don’t hold your breath. Even after failing the playoffs again this year he will struggle to find a team that would want him. And even if he does move he will fail even worse than he has done in recent seasons. The worse thing is, he never understands why…
Trading Khris Middleton was the final nail in the coffin of any playoff aspirations for the Bucks.
As things stand, first round against the Pacers we all know how it ends. Even if the Pacers’ stars are injured , Siakam or Myles Turner know how to neutralise Giannis. We have seen it many times. Without Khris as an alternative threat there isn’t much hope. This isn’t a one off in season tournament game. Against the Knicks it would be even worse. In a seven game playoff series the Bucks lose badly. Again.
That is the history. That is how big a fluke the championship run was. The Bucks with Giannis have failed consistently in the playoffs. Kuzma solves no problems. In fact he will struggle to find a role on the team next to ball dominant Giannis. While Kuzma can get hot from beyond the arc, his three-point shooting remains streaky. He’s not a knockdown shooter, which can sometimes limit his offensive impact and spacing for his team. Spacing is what Giannis needs, that is why they brought Lopez. Though he has the physical tools to be a solid defender, Kuzma sometimes lacks focus and consistency on that end of the floor. He can get caught ball-watching or lose his man, leading to easy baskets for opponents.
Kuzma’s offensive assertiveness can sometimes turn into tunnel vision. He can force shots or miss open teammates when he’s focused on scoring, which can disrupt the flow of the offense. Which already doesn’t flow much because of ball hog Giannis. And Kuzma’s decision-making can be questionable. He might take a difficult shot early in the shot clock or make a risky pass that leads to a turnover. Improving his decision-making will make him a more efficient and reliable player.
There have been instances where Kuzma’s maturity has been questioned. Whether it’s on-court antics or off-court comments, he can sometimes be a distraction for his team. Maintaining focus and composure will be crucial for his continued growth, will he be able to put up with Giannis? I think moving to the Bucks will test the limits of every aspect of Kuzma on and off the court.
And failing horribly in the playoffs again will only make it worse.
It is so common to hear “no help” in relation to Giannis. But
is it true? Let’s look at how many points the bench has scored in relation to other teams.
So with only 48 games, the Bucks bench is much better than so many title contenders.
And who are these players making the difference?
In fact the Bucks’ good defensive periods are when the team does well.
Looking at the breakdown per Bucks’ player, here are they are ranked by points made of players coming off the bench:
So what is the problem? Giannis is! He is holding the ball too long in his constant stat padding efforts. It is ludicrous to have a forward on the top of the possession chart of a basketball team:
Next time someone wants to complain about Pat, maybe look at that chart again. Connaughton had the ball 1/10th of the time that Giannis did. AJ Green 1/5th of the time. How on earth do you expect players to develop at all like that?
The Milwaukee Bucks are at a crossroads. After a disappointing early exit from the playoffs, the whispers of change are growing louder, often fuelled by Giannis with direct or indirect statements. One name that occasionally surfaces in these discussions, much to the chagrin of sensible fans, is Khris Middleton. Let me be absolutely clear: trading Khris Middleton would be a colossal blunder, a self-inflicted wound that could cripple the Bucks’ championship aspirations for years to come.
Here’s why:
1. Proven Chemistry with Giannis: The most obvious and crucial reason. Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo have developed an unparalleled on-court synergy. Their two-man game is lethal, a constant source of headaches for opposing defenses. You don’t break up a dynamic duo like that unless you’re absolutely desperate. The Bucks’ success is inextricably linked to the Middleton-Giannis connection. Why mess with a winning formula? Dame has improved but is nowhere near that.
2. Elite Shot Creation: Middleton’s ability to create his own shot, especially in clutch situations, is invaluable. He’s a reliable scorer who can bail the Bucks out of stagnant offensive possessions. When defenses tighten up on Giannis, Middleton provides a crucial release valve. He can hit contested jumpers, drive to the basket, and draw fouls. Replacing that level of shot creation wouldn’t be easy, and it certainly wouldn’t be cheap. And remember, we are doing all this for the playoffs, so don’t tell me about some young unproven star. Very few people can operate at the top level and we know Khris is one of them.
3. Playoff Experience: Middleton has been through the playoff wars. He’s seen it all, from nail-biting victories to heartbreaking defeats. That experience is priceless, especially when the pressure mounts in the postseason. He knows what it takes to compete at the highest level, and he can provide veteran leadership to a relatively young Bucks squad. You can’t teach playoff experience; it’s earned. Even Dame isn’t close to having similar experience.
4. Consistent Scoring Threat: Middleton is a consistent scorer, not just a volume shooter; he’s efficient, shooting a respectable percentage from the field and from three-point range. His scoring punch provides balance to the Bucks’ offense, preventing them from becoming too reliant on Giannis.
5. Contract Considerations (Less Onerous Than You Think): Yes, Middleton’s contract is significant. However, narratives around it being an albatross are often overblown. While not a “bargain,” it’s a manageable contract for a player of his caliber. And let’s be honest, contending teams always have big contracts on their books. It’s the price of doing business.
6. The Difficulty of Finding a Replacement: Who are the Bucks going to trade Middleton for that will provide the same level of production, chemistry, and playoff experience? The answer is likely no one. Finding a player with his skillset and fit within the Bucks’ system would be incredibly difficult, if not impossible. Trading him would likely create more problems than it solves.
7. Intangibles: Beyond the stats and highlights, Middleton brings a level of professionalism and composure to the Bucks. He’s a team player, a good locker room presence, and a respected leader. These intangibles are often overlooked, but they play a crucial role in team success.
So trading Khris Middleton would be a shortsighted move that could seriously jeopardize the Bucks’ chances of competing for a championship. He’s a vital piece of the puzzle, a perfect complement to Giannis, and a proven winner. The Bucks should be building around Middleton and Giannis, not looking for ways to break them up. But all this is yet another Giannis mistake. That’s the only reason all this discussion keeps coming around. Front office feel they have to look like they tried everything, even though they know they can’t anyone better than Khris to help with any (very small) chances of a playoff run. The only reason anyone is even discussing this stupidity is the ridiculous narrative that Giannis is the only player worth anything on the Bucks roster, the lone hero fighting with no help.
Any talk of trading Khris should be immediately shut down. It’s not just a bad idea; it’s basketball malpractice.
A long time ago, as they often recount the tale, the Bucks brought a young athletic boy to their town. Sure he couldn’t dribble or shoot, but his body had amazing and unique characteristics. And he worked really hard. And the Bucks did everything they could to make him comfortable, brought his family over and much more.
So as he started playing he won people over with his smile. It also became apparent he needed a mentor on the court, Khris was ideal and he has done it selflessly for all these years. Giannis had no clue about how the NBA game worked. Khris took the slack for him in any situation that Giannis couldn’t understand or simply lacked the skills.
In defence that was Jrue’s job. Giannis can’t read opponents. He can’t operate fast enough. So Jrue plugged the holes. As the Bucks playing style evolved to suit Giannis they looked for young, cheap and no ego sharp shooters to spread around the floor. And when it came time for a center to help in the paint, they picked Brook precisely because of his lethal (and then quite unique for a big) 3 point ability.
And it worked! With a lot of good luck in the playoffs and thanks to Khris, Jrue and Brook they got Giannis to the Finals. That series was the Bucks’ to lose as it turned out and they quite easily won it. Giannis even had an epic 50 point game for the books. Heck he even scored free throws! And what did he do?
In the ultimate show of inexperience he said, implied and outright shouted two pretty lethal messages:
I did this the right way, no help, no superteam
We are going to run it back next year.
1. About the “right way” he was soooo wrong. As I explain here that Bucks team was a superteam. But most importantly Giannis proclaimed to the whole world that he was the Bucks. On his own. Solo. No super team, just a bunch of losers and him.
2. So they didn’t “run it back”. Αny player staying on after this had to further suck up any ego or leave. The narrative almost every game the Bucks lost from then on is “Giannis tried but was let down by the rest of the roster.” Every single time. He is busy stat padding, hogging the ball, everyone else looks terrible.
What player in his right mind would even consider joining such a team? You would have to be pretty desperate, have no ego and no other offers. Enter poor Damien Lillard. A player who almost damaged the Blazers in a similar fashion except he is smarter and the Blazers realised it sooner and built a young core better. And of course Dame starts and gets the same abuse as everyone else. He has to work with Giannis’ inferior basketball IQ yet not make him look bad on court. This is a conundrum that Khris had figured out to a certain extent but is getting too old to carry for a whole game like he used to. Dame has to wait for Giannis to do his thing and if he gets stuck in traffic has to hope Giannis will see him so that he can get a – usually terrible – pass from him to try and score with little time and with the entire opponent’s roster knowing that he has few options.
So Dame does the Khris thing. In crunch time Giannis just keeps giving him the ball as if saying “dude I have no idea what to do when up against teams that actually defend against me!” The problem is that Giannis has believed his own hype. He keeps training for strength, he keeps trying to play bully ball, he just looks at points/assists/rebounds at the end of the game as if that is all that matters. When they win in the regular season against lesser opponents the NBA media and the Bucks marketing team shout a lot about his personal stats looking for rare and weird ones like 30point games with more than 3.14 times rotation of the Earth around Jupiter while the game was being played. When they lose against better opponents or anyone that bothers to defend Giannis with a bit of effort it is “Giannis tried but XYZ.” The narrative is always “Giannis is top dog, must be the rest of them at fault“.
And he is killing the Bucks in the meantime.
(PS Tonight the Bucks lost to the Blazers. Giannis was “player of the game” according to Bucks marketing and many fans. How does that make sense? He controlled the game most of the time other than the first quarter when he let Dame bring the ball down for a while. He just kept running the same play and forcing the Bucks to play in the same way even though it was clearly not working. What would his idol Lebron James have done? Got more players involved. Changed it up. At worse Giannis should have left the younger players get more minutes. You are not the “best player” when you are effectively killing your team both short term and in the long term.)
Bucks’ fans like to play a game called “let’s blame everyone except Giannis” which is often followed by another game called “let’s propose ludicrous trades that can’t happen”. Of course they want another championship, after all Giannis said he would “run it back” the day they won it.
That is the modern NBA. The top teams and how they play. Fast, clever basketball with constant movement and players that can think fast and execute well. Can the Bucks ever play like that? Hell no! Because Giannis can’t.
Part of Giannis’ amazing story is how he got to basketball late. He has no fundamentals, he can hardly dribble, for sure not ambidextrous and most of all, he can’t think basketball fast. He doesn’t even understand complex plays drawn out so the Bucks have to keep him out of those when necessary. It was apparent with the way coach Spanoulis tries to work around his limitations in the Paris Olympics. He kept Giannis off the floor a lot to try and get his team playing faster.
It’s not about just how fast you can get down to the other end of the floor. Giannis is great at that. And it works often in the regular season. He grabs the easy defensive rebound because his team mates clear out to let him statpad. But then the problem: instead of passing the ball to a guard, Giannis starts running the floor looking for an easy run and dunk. Any coach will tell you that this chart is ludicrous:
Giannis has the ball in his hands more than anyone by an enormous margin. Because not only does he bring the ball down, he then gets tangled in the opponents’ defence. If they are above average team even one player can confuse him and then what?
He chews up the clock looking for that easy shot by the rim (mid range is a myth – post about that coming up soon). This hurts the Bucks in multiple ways. Often it’s a turnover. Giannis is top in the NBA in turnovers most years.
When it’s not a turnover it’s a mediocre or bad pass with not much time left on the clock and not many options. So then everyone blames his team mates for missing! Giannis has always been terrible with turnovers, he has no dribble and no place holding the ball so much. At the end of last season he was the undisputed champ of the turnovers as always. Assist to turnover ratio is even worse.
The Bucks have a similar problem in defence where Giannis is slow to switch or to even understand what is going on. Again, against easy opponents in the regular season he seems awesome. But in harder match ups he really has no clue why and how they are scoring against him. People talk about his stats, blocks and such but fail to compare regular season Giannis with playoff Giannis. The drop off is enormous.
Can Giannis learn how to play modern basketball? The answer is ‘no’ or ‘absolutely impossible’. Can he find a role in a different team set up. We don’t know. He has a similar problem with the Greek national team despite a variety of different coaches trying to help him. For sure his dribbling skills are not improving. If anything the NBA officiating let’s him get away with murder most of the time and still he is near the top of the negative list of most offences for travelling, palming, 3second rules on both ends and offensive fouls. He simply can’t control his body well and he can’t think fast enough to adjust.
When Giannis won the chip he kept saying he “won it the right way” implying he was not on a superteam. I found this rather insulting to his team mates. After all they had got him to the Finals. They were losing to the Hawks with Giannis in the rotation and they got past them easily without him. Khris, Jrue and Brook got it done in every clutch situation, practically handing Giannis the Finals where things were easy.
How can we quantify those Bucks? A good way is plus minus.
No less than seven Bucks’ in the top9 for the whole league! To put that in perspective the Nuggets dominating championship year they only had 4 players in the top9.
And if somebody wants to downplay the importance of plus minus look at how even the super dominant Celtics in their championship run only feature 3 players in the top 9.
When Giannis Antetokounmpo hoisted the Larry O’Brien Trophy in 2021, he didn’t just celebrate a championship—he seized the moment to craft a narrative that’s since become gospel among his admirers. “I could’ve gone to a superteam,” he famously declared, “but this is the hard way to do it, and we did it.” The implication was clear: Giannis, the loyal superstar, stuck it out with the small-market Milwaukee Bucks, eschewing the easy path of joining forces with other elite players to chase a ring. It’s a compelling story—one of grit, perseverance, and doing things “the right way.” But here’s the inconvenient truth: the 2021 Bucks were a superteam, and Giannis’ repeated insistence otherwise not only undersells his teammates but smacks of ingratitude toward the exceptional roster that carried him to glory.
Defining a Superteam
First, let’s clarify what a “superteam” actually means in the modern NBA. The term typically evokes images of star-studded lineups like the Miami Heat’s Big Three (LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh) or the Golden State Warriors with Kevin Durant joining Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. These teams were built through high-profile free agency moves or trades, stacking multiple top-tier talents to dominate the league. But the essence of a superteam isn’t just about how it’s assembled—it’s about the quality of the roster. A superteam is a squad with elite talent at multiple positions, capable of overwhelming opponents through sheer firepower and versatility.
By that standard, the 2021 Milwaukee Bucks absolutely qualify. Giannis, a two-time MVP and Defensive Player of the Year, was the cornerstone, no question. But he wasn’t alone. Khris Middleton, a perennial All-Star, was a clutch shot-maker and secondary creator who averaged 23.6 points per game in the Finals, often keeping the Bucks afloat when Giannis couldn’t. Jrue Holiday, another All-Star, brought elite two-way play—his defense on Chris Paul in the Finals was a masterclass, and his 27-point, 13-assist Game 5 performance was pivotal. Add in Brook Lopez, a former All-Star and one of the league’s best rim protectors, and you’ve got a starting lineup with three All-Stars and a near-All-Star big man. That’s not a scrappy underdog story—that’s a superteam, plain and simple.
The Bucks’ Talent Stacking
Critics might argue that the Bucks didn’t feel like a superteam because they weren’t a glamorous, big-market juggernaut assembled via blockbuster trades or free-agent coups. Fair enough—Milwaukee didn’t lure Giannis to South Beach or pair him with LeBron in LA. But the Bucks’ front office didn’t exactly sit on their hands, either. They traded for Jrue Holiday in November 2020, giving up a haul of picks and players to land a proven star who’d made All-Defensive teams and had playoff pedigree. Middleton had already blossomed into a borderline top-20 player by then, and Lopez’s transformation into a stretch-five anchor solidified the roster’s balance. This wasn’t a ragtag group of role players elevating Giannis—it was a carefully constructed, top-heavy team designed to win a title.
Compare that to true “non-superteam” champions. The 2004 Detroit Pistons, often cited as the gold standard for doing it “the hard way,” had no MVP-caliber star and relied on a balanced attack led by Chauncey Billups and Ben Wallace. The 2011 Dallas Mavericks leaned heavily on Dirk Nowitzki, but their supporting cast—Jason Terry, Tyson Chandler, Jason Kidd—wasn’t loaded with All-Stars in their prime. The Bucks, by contrast, had three players who’d been All-Stars within the prior three years, plus a former All-Star in Lopez. That’s not “the hard way”—that’s a roster most teams would kill for.
Giannis’ Narrative: Ungrateful or Just Naive?
So why does Giannis keep pushing this “no superteam” line? It’s possible he genuinely believes it, viewing superteams as only those formed by stars jumping ship to join forces elsewhere. He stayed loyal to Milwaukee, signing a supermax extension in 2020 when he could’ve chased rings with, say, the Heat or Mavericks. That loyalty is admirable, and it’s true he didn’t take the LeBron-to-Miami or KD-to-Golden-State route. But loyalty doesn’t erase the fact that the Bucks built a powerhouse around him—one he didn’t have to leave to find.
More troubling, though, is how his rhetoric diminishes the contributions of Middleton, Holiday, and Lopez. When Giannis says he did it “without a superteam,” he’s implicitly suggesting his teammates weren’t on that elite level—like he carried a bunch of scrubs to the promised land. That’s not just inaccurate; it’s ungrateful. Middleton’s Game 4 heroics (40 points) and Holiday’s lockdown defense were as critical to the title as Giannis’ 50-point closeout in Game 6. Stephen Jackson, a former NBA champ himself, called this out in 2021, arguing that Giannis “diminished” his teammates by rejecting the superteam label. “You have a superteam—you might not have super names, but don’t diminish your teammates,” Jackson said. He had a point.
The Right Way or Just His Way?
Giannis’ “right way” mantra also carries a whiff of moral superiority, as if winning with a homegrown core is inherently nobler than joining forces elsewhere. It’s a romantic notion, but it’s not like he turned down a barren roster to tough it out in Milwaukee. The Bucks gave him a championship-caliber supporting cast—something stars like Damian Lillard in Portland never got. Giannis didn’t do it “the hard way” out of some selfless crusade; he did it because the Bucks made it possible. Contrast that with players like Charles Barkley or Karl Malone, who toiled on good-but-not-great teams and never won. That’s the hard way. Giannis had it better than he lets on.
Give Credit Where It’s Due
The 2021 Milwaukee Bucks were a superteam—not in the flashy, headline-grabbing sense, but in the cold, hard reality of their talent and execution. Giannis was the engine, no doubt, but Middleton, Holiday, and Lopez were the gears that made it run. His insistence on framing it as a solo triumph “without a superteam” isn’t just a mischaracterization—it’s a disservice to the teammates who helped him climb the mountain. Loyalty is a virtue, and Giannis deserves praise for sticking with Milwaukee. But let’s not pretend he did it alone or “the right way” out of some unique hardship. He had a damn good team—a superteam—and it’s time he owned that instead of rewriting the story to fit a humble-brag narrative. Gratitude, not just greatness, is what champions are made of.That was a super dominant team Giannis had helping him. A super team. They shot the lights out from three breaking multiple records in the NBA. They all put their egos aside to get Giannis to the Finals which were actually an easier game than what they had got through until there.
And just for a second maybe sit and think how his team mates felt hearing him Giannis say again and again that he did it “the right way” “without a superteam”…
