Not too shabby for a player who was supposed to be years away from contributing at an NBA level, even if that honor came against an incredibly lackluster rookie class.Īmong the many players who suited up for even a single game in Sin City, only 13 managed to record at least a block and a steal per game-Antetokounmpo, Jackie Carmichael, Gorgui Dieng, Bernard James, Bryan Davis, Miles Plumlee, Andrew Wiggins, Eric Griffin, Travis Hyman, Will Thomas, Alex Len, James Michael McAdoo and Nerlens Noel. Using that mentality, his ridiculous physical tools and his surprising amount of basketball skill, he ended up making the All-Rookie Second Team. Sometimes you’ve got to respond because you can’t be like a chicken. If he does it all night you can’t focus on your game so you have to respond and tell him something to stop. When I go out there I don’t care who you are, for me it’s just a jersey. I tried to not react and you have to respect him. He’s one of the best players, but he can’t come out and start bullying my teammates and me, like talking to me all the time. Anthony did score 29 points, but he needed 29 shots from the field in order to reach that total, rendering the rookie's work rather successful.Īfter the game, Antetokounmpo, who claimed that all Anthony's points came against his teammates when he was either on the bench or guarding a different assignment, had the following to say about his experience, per Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 18 contest against the New York Knicks, Antetokounmpo spent the entire game-save the time he was on the bench with foul trouble-in Melo's grill, hounding him at all times and contesting virtually every shot. It was abundantly clear defense was his speciality, especially when he matched up against Carmelo Anthony in his first start and showed absolutely no fear.ĭuring that Dec. His player efficiency rating, according to, was a below-average 10.8, but he did manage to contribute 1.2 win shares, the vast majority of which came on the defensive end of the court. On the season, he averaged 6.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.8 blocks per game while shooting 41.4 percent from the field, 34.7 percent beyond the arc and 68.3 percent at the charity stripe. Trust me when I say that's only a small sampling of the many opinions out there-mine included-claiming Antetokounmpo wouldn't be ready to compete for a least a few seasons, much less contribute at a high level.Īs a rookie, the young prospect didn't just sit on the bench or play in the D-League he started 23 games for a reeling Milwaukee organization, and he played pretty well in those appearances. He has a great wingspan and is a very smooth athlete.The Bucks could use help on the wings, but this pick is one for the future, possibly even three or four years down the road," explained Adi Joseph of USA Today while giving the Bucks a "B" for their selection. " Antetokounmpo may stay in Greece, as is typical for Greek players, for a few years. "He's believed to have signed a multi-year deal with the Spanish club CAI Zaragoza in December, but the Bucks plan on bringing him over right away and will negotiate a buyout." " The son of Nigerian-born parents, Antetokounmpo is thought to be a couple of years away from becoming a contributor on an NBA team," wrote Fox Sports Wisconsin's Andrew Gruman.
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