The book on Giannis Antetokounmpo is that he was raw and untested, but he had some good physical tools. Down the line maybe he could be a point forward in the league. The Bucks took him at 15 and this was a guy we weren’t going to have to figure out how to pronounce his name for a few years (Bucks fans struggle to do it, they even struggle to do it in his native Greece).
Or, maybe we should figure it out now, because in two preseason games he’s been better than advertised.
In his first preseason game against the Cavaliers he filled up the box score: 14 points on 3-of 7 shooting, four rebounds, two assists, three blocks, five turnovers and five fouls. Against the Timberwolves on Thursday he threw a block party with four blocks, plus four points on 1-of-6 shooting (the one made basket being a nifty Eurostep in transition), seven rebounds, seven turnovers and five fouls.
Let’s be clear — he is a long way from doing that in a regular season game when it matters. A couple nice but flawed preseason games (notice the turnovers and fouls) does not a career make.
But he’s fun to watch — and Milwaukee fans need someone to get behind. So they are on board with G-Bo (which is a lot easier to pronounce).