Tag: fake

The Rebounding Illusion: Giannis Antetokounmpo the Bucks Worse on the Boards

In NBA analytics, some stats cut through the hype and reveal uncomfortable truths. The “BEAST ON THE BOARDS” chart illustrates how star big men’s presence impacts their team’s rebound percentages. Players like Steven Adams (+19.1 OREB%, +18.5 TREB%) and Nikola Jokic (+3.1, +6.2) boost their squads, living up to their reputations as rebounding forces. But then there’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, with negative differentials: -3.1 OREB% and -0.2 TREB%. This isn’t a glitch—it’s a pattern that questions the “Greek Freak’s” true impact.

Giannis posts gaudy individual numbers, averaging double-digit rebounds most seasons, but the team’s rebounding suffers when he’s on the floor. Why? It’s not just about team dynamics; it’s tied to Giannis’ evolving priorities, defensive shortcomings, and a focus on personal stats over team success. Since his 2019-20 Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) award, his defence has declined, he’s emphasised offence, chased highlights, and padded rebounds—often at the expense of cohesive play. Let’s break it down with data and context.

Understanding On-Off Rebound Percentages

Before we dissect Giannis’ case, let’s clarify the stat. Rebound percentage measures the share of available rebounds a team (or player) secures while on the court. It’s more insightful than raw rebounds because it accounts for pace and opportunities—after all, a fast-paced game might have more misses, but the percentage normalizes that.

OREB%: The percentage of a team’s own missed shots that they rebound (offensive rebounds / (offensive rebounds + opponent’s defensive rebounds)).
TREB%: The overall rebound percentage, combining offensive and defensive boards.

The “on-off differential” compares the team’s performance in these metrics when a player is on the court versus off. A positive number means the team rebounds better with the player playing; a negative means they rebound better without them.

Data from sites like Cleaning the Glass shows this isn’t a one-off fluke for Giannis. In the 2021-22 season (which aligns closely with the chart’s numbers, showing -2.8 OREB% on-off), and other years like 2018-19 (-1.2%) and 2020-21 (-1.9%), Giannis posted negative differentials. Yet, in more recent seasons like 2023-24 (+2.6 OREB%) and 2024-25 (+1.8%), it’s flipped positive. So, what’s going on?

Giannis’ Individual Stats: Impressive, But Inflated?

Giannis ranks among the league’s top rebounders, but scrutiny reveals issues:

Season	Rebounds Per Game (RPG)	Total Rebound % (TRB%)	Defensive Rating (DRtg)	Defensive BPM (DBPM)
2019-20	13.6	21.4%	97	4.1
2020-21	11.0	18.5%	107	2.8
2021-22	11.6	19.2%	106	3.5
2022-23	11.8	19.8%	108	2.7
2023-24	11.5	18.8%	112	2.4
2024-25	11.9	19.5%	109	2.5

(Source: Basketball-Reference)

His RPG and TRB% are solid, but notice the defensive metrics. Post-DPOY (where he posted a league-best 97 DRtg), his DRtg has worsened to 107-112, indicating more points allowed per 100 possessions. DBPM, measuring defensive impact, dropped from 4.1 to as low as 2.4. This decline correlates with negative rebound diffs, as poor defence leads to more opponent makes—and fewer rebound chances.

The Shift: From Defensive Anchor to Offensive Focus

Giannis won DPOY in 2019-20 as a versatile defender, using his 7-foot wingspan for help defence and rim protection. But since then, his effort has waned. Analysts note he’s prioritised offence over grinding on D. Bucks’ schemes rely on him as a free safety, but he often chases “highlight reel” plays—spectacular blocks or steals—instead of sticking to plans.

This individualism disrupts team rebounding. Teammates “clear out” on misses, letting Giannis grab easy defensive boards to pad stats, rather than contesting collectively. A notorious 2023 incident saw him intentionally miss a shot for his own rebound to secure a triple-double, later rescinded by the NBA amid “stat-padding” backlash. Fans and media called it “shameless,” highlighting a pattern where personal milestones trump team efficiency.

Defensive Shortcomings: Speed, Switching, and Fundamentals

Giannis’ late start in basketball—he didn’t play organised ball until age 13 in Greece—shows in his reflexes and scheme comprehension. Unlike peers who honed instincts young, he struggles with complex switches in modern pick-and-roll defences. He’s not fast enough laterally to guard perimeter threats, often getting blown by or mispositioned. This leads to breakdowns: Opponents exploit gaps, leading to more makes and fewer Bucks rebounds.

In high-pace lineups with Giannis, the team leaks out for transitions, but his defensive lapses mean more opponent scores—reducing OREB% opportunities. Bench units, without him, play more structured, grabbing boards at higher rates. Social media discussions echo this: “Giannis was only ever a helpside defender… not much of a rim protector.” His blocks (around 1-1.5/game post-DPOY) are flashy but don’t anchor like Gobert’s.

Lineup and Opponent Factors: Excuses or Reality?

Sure, roster changes matter—Brook Lopez’s injuries forced adjustments, and backups like Bobby Portis (16.5% TRB% in 2021-22) feast in non-Giannis minutes. But this masks Giannis’ issues. He faces starters, but his declining DBPM suggests he’s not elevating the unit. Bucks’ overall TREB% (50-52%) is average, but negatives persist because Giannis’ style—offence-first, stat-chasing—trades team rebounding for personal glory.

He’s in his prime physically but coasting defensively.

Time for Accountability

Giannis’ negative on-off rebound diffs aren’t a paradox—they’re a symptom of prioritising offence, highlights, and stats over defence and team play. His late basketball start hampers reflexes in schemes, and rebound “padding” inflates numbers while hurting the Bucks. Milwaukee won in 2021 despite this, but as defences evolve, Giannis must recommit defensively. In 2025-26, under Doc Rivers, watch if he adapts—or if the illusion crumbles further.

October 3, 2025

Greek Freak Folly: Giannis, not Doc Rivers, Is Sinking the Bucks
Milwaukee Bucks fans are at it again. As the 2024-25 season wrapped up with another frustrating early playoff exit— a first-round flameout against the Pacers after scraping into the postseason as the East’s No. 5 seed at 48-34—the scapegoat du jour is Doc Rivers. Social media is ablaze with calls for his firing, memes about his “clutch-time meltdowns,” and hot takes blaming everything from his rotations to his post-game pressers. But let’s pump the brakes. Doc Rivers isn’t the villain here. He’s a championship-winning coach (2008 with the Celtics, remember?) who’s now saddled with a .548 winning percentage in Milwaukee despite inheriting a roster that’s equal parts superstar talent and glaring mismatches. The real culprit? Giannis Antetokounmpo. Yeah, the two-time MVP, Finals MVP, and perpetual All-NBA freak of nature. His limitations—stubborn refusal to evolve his game, a personality that keeps potential teammates at arm’s length, and a playing style that’s tailor-made for 82-game stat-padding but crumbles under playoff pressure—are the anchors dragging this franchise down. It’s time to stop with the excuses and face the music: Giannis is a regular-season monster who vanishes when the lights get brightest.

Doc Rivers: The Fall Guy for a Flawed Star System

Hired mid-2023-24 after Adrian Griffin’s abrupt firing, Doc Rivers walked into a pressure cooker. The Bucks were 30-13 under Griffin, but whispers of locker-room discord and defensive lapses were already swirling. Rivers steadied the ship somewhat, finishing that season at 13-7 after a rocky 5-6 start in his tenure. Fast-forward to 2024-25: 48 wins, a top-11 offense (115.5 PPG), and a middling defense (113.0 PPG allowed)—hardly the apocalypse. His overall Bucks record? A pedestrian 66-54.

Fans point to Doc’s “poor adjustments” in the playoffs—like last year’s second-round debacle against the Celtics in 2024, where Milwaukee got swept in five after Giannis’ calf injury sidelined him for two games. But even when healthy, Rivers’ teams have overachieved relative to talent. In Boston, he won 56 games with a balanced roster; in Milwaukee, he’s squeezing blood from a stone. As one insider noted ahead of 2025-26, Rivers is “uniquely qualified” to maximise this group’s defence, yet the Bucks’ interior personnel (hello, Giannis and Lopez) hasn’t translated to elite stops because the offence stalls in crunch time—more on that later.

Blame Doc if you want rotation roulette or sideline suits, but he’s not the reason the Bucks are 11-17 in the playoffs since their 2021 title run. That’s on the guy whose name is on the marquee.

Giannis’ Game: All Gas, No Brakes—And No Jumper

Giannis Antetokounmpo is a walking highlight reel: 6’11”, freight-train athleticism, and stats that scream superstar. Career regular-season averages? 23.9 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 4.9 APG on freakish efficiency. In 2024-25, he bumped that to 30.4 PPG and 11.9 RPG, finishing second in scoring. But playoffs? That’s where the mask slips. Career postseason: 27.0 PPG and 12.2 RPG—impressive volume, sure, but on brutal efficiency. His true shooting dips to 56% from 61% in the regular season, and his three-point volume craters (1.5 makes on 4.0 attempts at 38%, vs. 29% career). Teams pack the paint, dare him to shoot, and he obliges with wild drives that yield turnovers or contested bricks.

The real indictment? Clutch time. In his last seven playoff games (spanning 2024-25’s first-round exit), Giannis averaged 29.9 PPG but on laughable 53/25/60 splits—53% FG, 25% from three, 60% FT—and a 56% TS. That’s not elite; that’s inefficient heroism. Critics have roasted him for years: In 2020, he “choked” against the Heat by settling for jumpers instead of attacking; in 2023, Miami’s zone exposed his lack of shooting, forcing 20+ FT attempts per game (he shot 63% from the line). Even in the 2021 Finals, his 50-point closeout was iconic, but it masked a series of inefficient outbursts (e.g., 34 points on 28 shots in Game 4).

At 30, Giannis hasn’t grown. No reliable mid-range, no pull-up game, no off-ball movement. He’s a one-dimensional bulldozer who pads stats in open-floor regular-season romps but gets neutralized when schemes tighten. As one analyst put it, “Giannis is the only severely limited player of that caliber in the NBA,” and opponents exploit it ruthlessly. Doc can’t coach evolution into a guy who’s won two MVPs without bothering to add a jumper. He can’t screen either. Hell, he can’t even understand more advanced plays and dumbs down the entire team.

The Lone Wolf: Why Superstars Ghost the Bucks

Giannis’ personality doesn’t help recruitment. He’s infamously antisocial with rivals—refusing offseason workouts with other NBA players because it “takes off his edge.” In a league where chemistry is king (think Curry-Draymond or LeBron-AD), this “me vs. the world” vibe screams red flag. He doesn’t train with active players, doesn’t build bonds; it’s all business, no buddies. Damian Lillard joined in 2023, sure, but that was a salary-dump necessity, not a dream team-up. Dame’s fit was clunky—pick-and-rolls fizzle because Giannis clogs the lane—and whispers of friction emerged by mid-2025.

Other stars? Crickets. Why join a small-market grind where you’re the sidekick to a ball-dominant alpha who won’t pass out of doubles? Trade rumours swirl around Giannis himself—recent “very real” talks with the front office about his future—but no superstar is lining up for Milwaukee. As one Bucks beat writer noted, even Giannis knows trades happen to “superstars” if the front office falters, yet his isolated style makes building a superteam feel impossible. In an era of player empowerment, who’d choose iso-ball in the Deer District over Hollywood glamour?

Excuses, Excuses: Bucks Fans’ Greatest Hits (And Misses)

Bucks Nation has a PhD in deflection. Let’s run through the classics:
- Coaches Are the Cancer: Budenholzer “couldn’t adjust” in 2023 (fired after a first-round loss). Griffin was “too green” in 2024 (axed after 43 games). Now Doc’s “clueless rotations” and “awful clutch offense” get the boot. Reality? Three coaches in four years, same result: playoff no-shows. The constant? Giannis’ unchanged game.
- Front Office Fiascos: Jon Horst gets roasted for trading Jrue Holiday for Lillard (a net loss in defense and vibes) or not surrounding Giannis with shooters. Fair, but Horst built the 2021 champs. Blaming execs ignores that no GM can fix a star who won’t shoot threes.
- Refs Robbing Us Blind: “The league hates Milwaukee!” cries after every foul call (or non-call) on Giannis’ drives. But his 60% FT in playoffs? That’s on him, not zebras.
- Injuries Are Curses: Giannis’ 2024 calf tear, Middleton’s endless ankles, Lillard’s groin—valid hurdles, but they’ve played 70+ games each in 2024-25. Excuses don’t win series.
- Roster Rejects: “We need shooters!” Sure, but adding Portis and Crowder hasn’t moved the needle because Giannis’ gravity pulls defenders inward, killing spacing.
These aren’t conspiracies; they’re shields against the truth. As Kevin Garnett bluntly said, Doc’s struggles stem from “the players,” not his schemes—every roster can’t play for him, but Giannis’ limitations amplify flaws everywhere.

Time to Trade the Freak? A Reckoning for Milwaukee

The Bucks’ 2021 ring was lightning in a bottle—health, grit, and a perfect storm. Since? Four straight playoff disappointments: ECF loss in 2022, first-rounders in ’23 and ’24, and another quick exit in ’25. Giannis is the common denominator: a stat-sheet stuffer who feasts on regular-season cupcakes (30+ PPG on fast breaks) but wilts when schemed against. His “clutch block” in 2021 was magic; his 2025 closeouts were duds.

Doc Rivers might not be the saviour, but firing him now is just another excuse. The real fix? A hard reset around a star who can actually grow—or trade the one who won’t. Bucks fans, your loyalty is admirable, but denial is deadly. Face it: The Greek Freak’s limitations aren’t fixable by coaching tapes or trades. They’re baked in. Until Milwaukee admits that, the parade dreams stay on hold.

If you’re reading this in Milwaukee, stock up on therapy sessions. Stop sharing his points/assists/rebound numbers. We all know they are rigged for him, the entire team helping him get those numbers and sacrificing their own. Stop shouting “when he gets a jumper…” he never will. Or “wow, what a dribble” in the one time it works out. Giannis can’t shoot. He can’t dribble (tops the leagues in palming and other errors.) He can’t pass, Sengun is 100% correct. Forget about that highlight mid season when it didn’t count. He has no court vision and no basketball IQ. Stop judging him from highlights against easy opponents and re-watch the tougher games. The truth hurts, but it’s the only path forward.

Giannis loves Doc Rivers – here is why and how https://greekinter.net/giannis/2025/05/20/doc-rivers-tenure-with-the-milwaukee-bucks-giannis-loves-him-end-of-story/

What Doc Rivers said to Giannis and Dame in their not so secret meeting https://greekinter.net/giannis/2025/03/23/what-doc-rivers-said-to-dame-and-giannis-in-their-secret-meeting/

Giannis is uncoachable – read the signs https://greekinter.net/giannis/2025/03/19/it-aint-doc-rivers-fault-giannis-is-simply-uncoachable/
September 29, 2025
Who is spreading fake news about Giannis’ philanthropy?

Saw it again today:

“BREAKING NEWS: Milwaukee bucks MVP/ Point Guard Giannis Antetokounmpo Donates Entire $20 Million Bonus and Sponsorship Deal to Charities and Homeless Relief” MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo Stated that” There are millions of people struggling every day — families without homes, kids without food, veterans without support.”

It is in hundreds of posts in social media from idiots who clearly don’t know how to research a little before posting. But it is not that simple. Because before that a similar rumour was circulating in Greece, to the extent that more serious media sources felt obligated to debunk it. (Link here – just use Google translate – https://mikropragmata.lifo.gr/zoi/ochi-o-giannis-antetokounmpo-de-eipe-oti-tha-dosei-25-ekatommyria-dolaria-se-filanthropies-stin-ellada-kai-sto-eksoteriko/ ) There is a similar “story” about Thanasis donating more than 12 million “bonus” (where the hell from?) Everytime the post has comments saying they are wonderful people etc.

So is it Giannis starting these rumours? As we documented before the voting for the NBA All Star is clearly problematic with serious indications of been manipulated by bots. While Giannis has not made a single, massive donation of that specific amount, he has a strong history of significant charitable giving. His efforts, often through the Charles Antetokounmpo Family Foundation, focus on causes he and his family care about, including supporting young people and addressing basic needs like housing, food, and education.

For instance the Milwaukee Homeless Shelter: He invested $7.5 million to open a shelter for homeless youth in Milwaukee. Sure, most of this money will be given in the future but even that amount is nowhere near the one mentioned in the fake news. “Powering Milwaukee Forward”: He and his foundation partnered with GE HealthCare to launch this initiative, which provides $1 million in grants to ten Milwaukee-area nonprofits. These organizations focus on improving access to basic needs like housing, food, and education for underserved communities. Again in the US, obviously as a tax write off. Giannis has also donated to Fiserv Forum staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, provided food boxes to people in his hometown of Sepolia, Greece, and partnered with UNICEF Greece to raise awareness for children’s rights. In general he seems more focused on doing philanthropy that appears in the news. Also he is clearly focused on trying to appear in Greek media for his many promotional efforts and sponsor deals there.

Giannis resorts to his personal story every time he fails on the court. Makes sense and good for him. But get a grip and maybe Google a bit before spreading misinformation. There are other NBA players with serious philanthropic projects that really make a difference.

September 22, 2025
Statpadder. The definition of basketball stat padding

Giannis Antetokounmpo is a two-time MVP, an NBA champion and a Finals MVPAt 30 years old (as of March 11, 2025), the Milwaukee Bucks superstar has already cemented himself as a future Hall of Famer. His combination of size, speed —7 feet of pure chaos barreling down the court, dunking on helpless defenders, and racking up accolades. But beneath the highlight reels and the Greek Freak mythology, there’s a lingering critique that doesn’t get enough airtime: Is Giannis the ultimate stat-padder in today’s NBA?

Before you grab your pitchforks, hear me out. I am simply asking whether some of his eye-popping numbers come with an asterisk—not because he’s cheating, but because of how he plays, how the Bucks use him, and how the modern NBA’s pace-and-space era amplifies his stat lines. Let’s break it down.

What Is Stat-Padding, Anyway?

First, let’s define the term. Stat-padding is when a player prioritizes personal numbers over team success, often chasing stats in ways that don’t necessarily align with winning basketball. It’s the guy who hunts rebounds instead of contesting a shot, or the one who holds the ball for an extra assist rather than making the simple play. In Giannis’s case, the accusation isn’t that he’s simply selfish but that his style of play and the Bucks’ system inflate his stats in an effort to make him look superhuman.

Critics argue that Giannis’s gaudy box scores—think 30 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 assists on a random Tuesday against the Wizards—sometimes mask inefficiencies or situational quirks that pad his numbers.

The Rebound Machine: Effort or Opportunism?

Giannis has averaged double-digit boards in six of his last seven seasons, peaking at 13.6 per game in 2022-23. For a guy who often plays like a point guard in a center’s body, that’s insane. But here’s the catch: A significant chunk of those rebounds are uncontested.

In the Bucks’ defensive scheme, Giannis often roams as a free safety, lurking in the paint or near the baseline to clean up misses. Smaller guards and wings box out, while Giannis swoops in for the grab. It’s a smart strategy—maximize your best athlete’s impact—but it also means he’s feasting on rebounds that don’t require much resistance. Compare that to traditional bigs like Nikola Jokić or Joel Embiid, who wrestle with opposing centers for position. Giannis’s rebounding totals are legit, but the context suggests he’s in prime position to rack them up.

And then there’s the offensive glass. Giannis is a master at tapping out his own misses—those wild, spinning drives that don’t always go in but give him a second chance. It’s a skill, no doubt, but it also boosts his rebounding numbers in a way that feels almost self-fulfilling. Miss a layup, grab the board, go back up—boom, another double-double.

Points in Garbage Time: The Silent Accumulator

Giannis’s scoring is where the stat-padding argument gets spicier. He’s averaged over 30 points per game in multiple seasons, including a career-high 32.1 in 2022-23. His efficiency is off the charts, with a true shooting percentage that hovers around 60% most years. But dig into the game logs, and you’ll notice a pattern: Giannis loves to pile on points when the game is already decided.

Take a typical Bucks blowout. With Milwaukee up 20 in the fourth quarter, Giannis often stays on the floor longer than necessary, bulldozing backups for easy buckets. It’s not that he’s begging Coach Bud (or now Doc Rivers) to keep him in—it’s that the Bucks don’t always pull him early, and Giannis doesn’t exactly coast. He’s relentless, which is part of his charm, but it also means he’s snagging 4-6 extra points in garbage time that turn a solid 26-point night into a sexy 32-point headline.

Contrast this with someone like LeBron James, who’s mastered the art of stat accumulation but often sits out entire fourth quarters in blowouts. Giannis’s motor is a blessing and a curse—it wins him MVPs, but it also fuels the stat-padding narrative.

The Assist Hunt: Turnover-Prone Playmaking

Giannis’s evolution into a playmaker has been remarkable, if catastrophic for his team. From a raw prospect who barely passed the ball in his early years, he’s become a legitimate hub, averaging 5-7 assists per game in recent seasons. The Bucks run their offense through him at the top of the key, letting him survey the floor and kick out to shooters like Damian Lillard or Khris Middleton.

But here’s the rub: Giannis isn’t a natural passer. His assist numbers are impressive, yet they come with a cost—turnovers. He’s averaged over 3 turnovers per game every year since 2017-18, peaking at 3.7 in 2022-23. Giannis is worse in the league almost every year in assists to turnovers! Many of those are sloppy passes or charges from forcing drives into crowded lanes. Critics argue that Giannis sometimes holds the ball too long, fishing for an assist instead of making the quick read. It’s not blatant stat-chasing like Russell Westbrook in his triple-double heyday, but it’s enough to raise an eyebrow and it surely damages his team’s chances of winning close games.

Watch a Bucks game, and you’ll see it: Giannis dribbles into a double-team, waits for a cutter or shooter to pop open, and either threads a highlight-reel pass or coughs it up. The assists pile up, but so do the mistakes. Is it stat-padding if it’s unintentional? Maybe not, but the numbers still get a boost.

Free Throws: The Hack-a-Giannis Advantage

Giannis lives at the free-throw line. He’s led the league in free-throw attempts multiple times, including 2020-21 (10.2 per game) and 2022-23 (10.6). His bruising style draws fouls like moths to a flame, and it’s a huge part of his scoring output. But—and this is a big but—he’s not great at converting them. His career free-throw percentage sits at a pedestrian 70%, dipping as low as 63% in 2023-24.

So why does this matter for the stat-padding debate? Because even when he misses, Giannis benefits. Defenses foul him late in games to stop the clock (the Hack-a-Giannis strategy), giving him more trips to the line and more chances to pad his point total. A 6-for-12 night from the stripe still adds 6 points to the box score, even if it’s ugly. It’s not his fault teams foul him, but it’s another quirk that inflates his stats without requiring much finesse. In fact Giannis is shooting the free throws worse than ever in his career and still benefits in terms of stat padding for points like this!

The Counterargument: Winning Trumps All

Now, let’s flip the script. Giannis’s supporters—and there are many—would argue that this whole stat-padding narrative is nonsense. The man won a championship in 2021, dropping 50 points in Game 6 of the Finals to clinch it. He’s a Defensive Player of the Year (2020) who anchors an elite defense. His stats don’t come at the expense of winning; they fuel it. The Bucks have been a top seed in the East for years, and Giannis’s dominance is the reason.

If he’s padding stats, they’d say, it’s incidental—a byproduct of his relentless effort and the Bucks’ reliance on him. He doesn’t chase triple-doubles like Westbrook or milk meaningless games like some benchwarmers. He plays to win, and the numbers follow. Plus, in an era where load management is king, Giannis rarely sits out—he’s logged over 2,000 minutes in most seasons since 2017. To me that is just them admitting that he stat pads. Because more and more, after a decade and more in the NBA it seems like the championship was a huge lucky break. And Giannis only cares for stat padding in the regular season.

The Verdict: Ultimate Stat-Padder or Just Unstoppable?

So, is Giannis the ultimate stat-padder? The truth lies in the gray area. His stats are inflated by his role, his physical gifts, and the Bucks’ system, and he obviously and clearly stat pads very often. He’s out there gaming the box score like a fantasy basketball addict, hell Wikipedia has him in the definition of stat padding!

If we’re ranking stat-padders, Giannis is surely on the top tier. And his numbers are so absurd they invite scrutiny.

March 11, 2025
Giannis’ stat padding is costing the team

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.

February 19, 2025