Celtics showing Giannis still has room to grow

If there is any evidence needed to show that Giannis Antetokounmpo is still very much in the growth years of his career, one doesn't need to look any further than his Game 5 performance against the Boston Celtics.

With the series tied 2-2, the Milwaukee Bucks had an opportunity to go into Boston to take their first series lead — only to be followed by a closeout game at home. Instead, the Celtics played a phenomenal game on the defensive end, holding Antetokounmpo to a mere 16 points on just 10 shots, one of which was an alley-oop attempt that he really didn’t get his hands on before being broken up by Marcus Smart.

For stretches in Game 5, it was hard to feel Antetokounmpo on the court. Yes, he finished an assist shy of a triple-double, but he was far from the destroyer of worlds that we saw for most of the regular season. Boston made him uncomfortable by eliminating any direct lines to the basket and creating an unnatural curve that makes things difficult for a man his size. Understandably, the Celtics dedicated their scheme to make things impossible for Giannis, and it’s this kind of experience that is only going to make him better.

His struggles shouldn’t be an indictment of his ability but instead seen as an opportunity to self-evaluate in the summer. He is undoubtedly on the verge of becoming the next unstoppable force in the NBA and nearly had a season for the ages. His season averages were nearly 27, 10 and five, numbers that have only been seen once since Larry Bird’s 1984-85 season (Russell Westbrook in 2017), while shooting only 30 percent from deep.

Through the coaching change and a myriad of injuries to the lineup, he was largely responsible for the Bucks even reaching the postseason. It’s easy to want to see better help around him, but there are a few pieces there he can grow with. Khris Middleton and Malcolm Brogdon are a great start, and Eric Bledsoe has the tools to become a middling point guard with the potential for huge nights.

While the Greek Freak would surely welcome more talent, coaching is going to be the most helpful in Antetokounmpo making his next progressive leap, which is wild considering that he still has leaps to make with what he produced this season.

The Bucks look lost on the defensive end and don’t really have an identity when the ball is in their possession. The team is built entirely on Antetokounmpo’s talent instead of being built to maximize it in the most efficient ways possible.

Regardless of circumstance, Milwaukee is going to need more than 10 field goal attempts from him in Game 6 to keep the season alive for at least one more game — and he’s only going to get those touches with help from the rest of the team. Despite needing him to have the ball in his hands as much as possible, having him as the roll man in pick-and-roll sets creates the kind of gravity in the paint that Steph Curry creates on the perimeter. Even though Antetokounmpo doesn’t get the ball on the roll here, his attention creates a skip pass and baseline drive that moves the defense enough to free him for a look right at the rim.