Giannis Antetokounmpo is producing his usual numbers for the Milwaukee Bucks but some fans have pointed out how he is visibly slow in some plays, especially on the defense.
Such lapse occurred late in the game in loss to the Portland Trailblazers when he did not jump to challenge the shot by Anfernee Simons that got his team a one-point lead with 23 seconds remaining.
Anfernee Simons CLUTCH And-1 to win it for the @trailblazers 😤 pic.twitter.com/1OtS3UncNI
— NBA (@NBA) January 5, 2025
Antetokounmpo blames his lack of aggressiveness since his return, something he attributes to the illness he suffered in mid-December.
“I’ve gotta be more aggressive,” he told reporters after the game.
“I’ve gotta get back in rhythm. I’m not in rhythm right now. Missed a lot of layups. I feel like the illness took a lot, a toll on me. Slowly, slowly, I’m getting back, ramping back to it. It was the first time I was out — not for the duration for the nine days, because I wasn’t for nine days sick — but those four, five days that I was, it took a lot out of my body.
The Greek Freak, who ranked third in some MVP rankings, averaged 29.3 points in the last three outing after missing equal number of games and in all those, the team went behind by double digit in the first half.
The won against the Pacers but they needed a 19-point comeback to pull it off.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and company needs another wake up call
In the loss to the Brooklyn Nets, Antetokounmpo said there should have individual pride amongst themselves since the already lost twice to the New York-based team.
Fans are baffled how they are bad again after seeming to have fixed their problems in the first two months by playing younger legs.
The team went 2-8 in their first ten. They recovered, went 16-12. People thought they have steadied the ship. They even won the NBA Cup for their first trophy of the season, something analysts thoughts is a statement victory.
The team has three games this week, a chance for them to recover.
They will take on the Toronto Raptors, the San Antonio Spurs, and the Orlando Magic before visiting the New York Knicks on Sunday.
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