Anyone who's friends with me knows that I love trashy TV shows; one of those shows is the CW Network's Arrow. Yes, yes, I know, you started reading this piece, hoping for some basketball geekiness. But I swear, I'll pull this back to relevance in a few sentences. Anyways, in the first season of Arrow, the eponymous Green Arrow runs around Starling City at night, delivering vigilante justice to the evil businessmen illegally and often violently exploiting the workers of the city for their own financial gain. He busts into their offices on the top of high-rises and accuses them, "You have failed this city." I wish I could do that to the fourteen GMs that passed on Giannis Antetokuonmpo in the 2013 NBA Draft.
Another thing that anyone who's friends with me knows about me is that I have an unhealthy obsession with Giannis's playing style, ability, and general persona. For God's sake, he's basically a seven-foot point guard on offense and a rangy, switchy big on defense. Granted, he has a ways to go: offensively, he needs to develop at least a solid pull-up mid-range shot and hopefully a three-point shot, and defensively, there's work to be done as a rim protector and help defender.
His first three years really haven't been anything to write home about either. But, it's all about potential with Giannis. He won't be 22 for another day, and he's already shown considerable growth in the past two years. It's hard to recall that he could barely dribble the ball (turnover percentage of around 20%) or finish at the rim (around 57% at the rim) his rookie year. He's steadily improved, his turnover percentage down to 14% and his finishing rate up to 69%, and his usage has increasing by nearly 8 percentage points, from 15% his rookie year. It's simple: Giannis has amazing ball skills for someone his height and length and very sound basketball instincts. Jason Kidd's given him the keys to the team, and hopefully the Milwaukee Bucks can finally make some shrewd personnel moves to surround him the right type of talent. We'll talk more about that later.
The 2013 NBA Draft was a master class in poor drafting. I won't try to play into the perfection of hindsight when I evaluate the mistakes these GMs made, but there were several questionable selections. Let's take a look at the lottery selections in the 2013 draft: Obviously, Bennett at the top of the draft was a stretch, but I can argue that, without that horrid selection, Cleveland would have never lured away LeBron from Miami and won a championship. Oladipo was a no-brainer of a pick. In the moment, Porter's versatility in college (16.2/7.5/2.7), Zeller's mobility and size, and Len's back to the basket potential were all pretty attractive commodities. So, let's not fault the top five picks too much. But the teams after that - I need to get my metaphorical GM bow and arrow for them.
New Orleans Pelicans
Anthony Davis willed the Pelicans to the playoffs in 2015, behind his 30.8 PER season, a season that ranks in the top- fifteen all time. And what have the Pelicans done to supplement him? Two oft-injured score- first guards in Jrue Holiday and Eric Gordon and the train wreck that is Tyreke Evans. The first of that trio, who's played in just above 55% of his games with the Pelicans and is slated to miss even more this season, was a 2013 draft day trade receipt for the draft rights to Nerlens Noel. Granted, the Noel pickup at six could have been a good complimentary piece to Davis, creating a horrifying, rangy frontline. But, they would have a limited offensive ceiling and they traded away the pick anyways for a point guard with bad legs.
Now, imagine this: the Pelicans don't trade from Holiday with their sixth pick in 2013 and their lottery pick in 2014 (which ended up being Elfrid Payton). Instead, they take a chance on the Greek Freak. They retain their 2014 lottery pick, and perhaps this pick would be higher than the 10th overall pick. Regardless, let's assume that they draft Payton. Instead of making the playoffs and getting swept by the Warriors, the Pelicans would probably have missed out on the playoffs without any serviceable guards. Perhaps, they draft Devon Booker or Cameron Payne. Essentially, the idea of this hypothetical path for the Pelicans is that their offensive firepower and defensive versatility would be irrevocably different.
The idea of Giannis and Davis pick-and-rolls surrounded by three point shooters is just divine. Not only does it put the ball in Giannis's hands and mask his shooting deficiencies, but it would highlight Davis's shooting ability. The Bucks often set on-ball screens with a good shooter (Jerryd Bayless, Middleton, etc) to give Giannis space to roam the lane. But an on-ball screen from a inside-out threat like Davis will bring to front Giannis's natural playmaking skills. But, alas, Dell Demps failed New Orleans.
Boston Celtics
Boston loves stashing prospects, and they've been able to build a scary team around a core of the smallest player in the league and a merry bunch of limited players. Brad Stevens has shown his willingness to play his young players in an up-tempo, pace-and-space, small-ball lineup. The best Boston lineups in the past year have been with Thomas, Bradley, Crowder, Turner, and one of their tall white boys.
Now, let's consider that the Celtics traded up for the 13th pick and instead of taking Kelly Olynyk's hairband, they picked up Giannis. One of the reasons Giannis has developed so quickly in Milwaukee is Kidd's willingness to give him the ball and forgive his mistakes (remember Dark Giannis?). Brad Stevens would easily do the same, but instead Giannis would be in a spread offense with shooters all around him.
If the Celtics decided to pick the Greek Freak, this year's crunch time lineup would feature him with Thomas and Bradley in the backcourt, with Crowder and Horford flanking him in the frontcourt. For a defensive injection, Thomas could be replaced with Smart and the team wouldn't really lose too much playmaking. I'm pretty sure President Stevens would even trot out a lineup with Giannis at center. The possibilities would have been endless with Giannis in Boston.
Dallas Mavericks
Dallas traded away the 13th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft in exchange for Lucas Nogueira and a couple future-rounders (one of whom happened to be Thanasis Antetokounmpo). Mark Cuban, you done fucked up. According to some rumors, the talk in the Dallas managerial camp was to either blow up the franchise and tank or to stay aloft. Mark Cuban's massive ego, which was only bolstered by a freak championship, forced him to elect to fight yearly for the seventh or eighth seed in the West.
What the craziest fact about this idiotic trade down in 2013 is that they picked up a project in Nogueira. If Cuban was so insistent on making the playoffs and not embracing a youth movement, then why trade down for a player who is still years away from cracking an NBA rotation? Giannis could have slowly progressed on the bench, learning and playing behind Dirk as the next great stretch four on Dallas. In fact, he could play aside Dirk as the defensive five or a playmaking small forward.
All else equal, the Mavericks could have been looking forward with a core of Giannis, Harrison Barnes, and Justin Anderson, with the athletic stretch- five Dwight Powell and Wesley Matthews shoring up the lineup. That's defense and switching at every goddamn position. Instead, the Mavs are relying on 40 year-old Dirk and 12 points a game for life Barnes as their primary scorers on a potential playoff team. It's a shame that we can't see Giannis playing for a tactical magician like Carlisle.
Milwaukee Bucks
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Jabari Parker. That's an amazing core on paper. Granted, Parker and Middelton have gotten injured in the past few years, but it's a solid start. Even the signings of Delly and Teletovic are solid role player signing. Henson and Plumlee are solid defensive-minding, rim-running centers that t the scheme. But, none of their recent free agency moves have taken this team a step into the playoffs. The decision-making of this front office has been questionable at best.
Another thing that anyone who's friends with me knows about me is that I have an unhealthy obsession with Giannis's playing style, ability, and general persona. For God's sake, he's basically a seven-foot point guard on offense and a rangy, switchy big on defense. Granted, he has a ways to go: offensively, he needs to develop at least a solid pull-up mid-range shot and hopefully a three-point shot, and defensively, there's work to be done as a rim protector and help defender.
His first three years really haven't been anything to write home about either. But, it's all about potential with Giannis. He won't be 22 for another day, and he's already shown considerable growth in the past two years. It's hard to recall that he could barely dribble the ball (turnover percentage of around 20%) or finish at the rim (around 57% at the rim) his rookie year. He's steadily improved, his turnover percentage down to 14% and his finishing rate up to 69%, and his usage has increasing by nearly 8 percentage points, from 15% his rookie year. It's simple: Giannis has amazing ball skills for someone his height and length and very sound basketball instincts. Jason Kidd's given him the keys to the team, and hopefully the Milwaukee Bucks can finally make some shrewd personnel moves to surround him the right type of talent. We'll talk more about that later.
The 2013 NBA Draft was a master class in poor drafting. I won't try to play into the perfection of hindsight when I evaluate the mistakes these GMs made, but there were several questionable selections. Let's take a look at the lottery selections in the 2013 draft: Obviously, Bennett at the top of the draft was a stretch, but I can argue that, without that horrid selection, Cleveland would have never lured away LeBron from Miami and won a championship. Oladipo was a no-brainer of a pick. In the moment, Porter's versatility in college (16.2/7.5/2.7), Zeller's mobility and size, and Len's back to the basket potential were all pretty attractive commodities. So, let's not fault the top five picks too much. But the teams after that - I need to get my metaphorical GM bow and arrow for them.
New Orleans Pelicans
Anthony Davis willed the Pelicans to the playoffs in 2015, behind his 30.8 PER season, a season that ranks in the top- fifteen all time. And what have the Pelicans done to supplement him? Two oft-injured score- first guards in Jrue Holiday and Eric Gordon and the train wreck that is Tyreke Evans. The first of that trio, who's played in just above 55% of his games with the Pelicans and is slated to miss even more this season, was a 2013 draft day trade receipt for the draft rights to Nerlens Noel. Granted, the Noel pickup at six could have been a good complimentary piece to Davis, creating a horrifying, rangy frontline. But, they would have a limited offensive ceiling and they traded away the pick anyways for a point guard with bad legs.
Now, imagine this: the Pelicans don't trade from Holiday with their sixth pick in 2013 and their lottery pick in 2014 (which ended up being Elfrid Payton). Instead, they take a chance on the Greek Freak. They retain their 2014 lottery pick, and perhaps this pick would be higher than the 10th overall pick. Regardless, let's assume that they draft Payton. Instead of making the playoffs and getting swept by the Warriors, the Pelicans would probably have missed out on the playoffs without any serviceable guards. Perhaps, they draft Devon Booker or Cameron Payne. Essentially, the idea of this hypothetical path for the Pelicans is that their offensive firepower and defensive versatility would be irrevocably different.
The idea of Giannis and Davis pick-and-rolls surrounded by three point shooters is just divine. Not only does it put the ball in Giannis's hands and mask his shooting deficiencies, but it would highlight Davis's shooting ability. The Bucks often set on-ball screens with a good shooter (Jerryd Bayless, Middleton, etc) to give Giannis space to roam the lane. But an on-ball screen from a inside-out threat like Davis will bring to front Giannis's natural playmaking skills. But, alas, Dell Demps failed New Orleans.
Boston Celtics
Boston loves stashing prospects, and they've been able to build a scary team around a core of the smallest player in the league and a merry bunch of limited players. Brad Stevens has shown his willingness to play his young players in an up-tempo, pace-and-space, small-ball lineup. The best Boston lineups in the past year have been with Thomas, Bradley, Crowder, Turner, and one of their tall white boys.
Now, let's consider that the Celtics traded up for the 13th pick and instead of taking Kelly Olynyk's hairband, they picked up Giannis. One of the reasons Giannis has developed so quickly in Milwaukee is Kidd's willingness to give him the ball and forgive his mistakes (remember Dark Giannis?). Brad Stevens would easily do the same, but instead Giannis would be in a spread offense with shooters all around him.
If the Celtics decided to pick the Greek Freak, this year's crunch time lineup would feature him with Thomas and Bradley in the backcourt, with Crowder and Horford flanking him in the frontcourt. For a defensive injection, Thomas could be replaced with Smart and the team wouldn't really lose too much playmaking. I'm pretty sure President Stevens would even trot out a lineup with Giannis at center. The possibilities would have been endless with Giannis in Boston.
Dallas Mavericks
Dallas traded away the 13th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft in exchange for Lucas Nogueira and a couple future-rounders (one of whom happened to be Thanasis Antetokounmpo). Mark Cuban, you done fucked up. According to some rumors, the talk in the Dallas managerial camp was to either blow up the franchise and tank or to stay aloft. Mark Cuban's massive ego, which was only bolstered by a freak championship, forced him to elect to fight yearly for the seventh or eighth seed in the West.
What the craziest fact about this idiotic trade down in 2013 is that they picked up a project in Nogueira. If Cuban was so insistent on making the playoffs and not embracing a youth movement, then why trade down for a player who is still years away from cracking an NBA rotation? Giannis could have slowly progressed on the bench, learning and playing behind Dirk as the next great stretch four on Dallas. In fact, he could play aside Dirk as the defensive five or a playmaking small forward.
All else equal, the Mavericks could have been looking forward with a core of Giannis, Harrison Barnes, and Justin Anderson, with the athletic stretch- five Dwight Powell and Wesley Matthews shoring up the lineup. That's defense and switching at every goddamn position. Instead, the Mavs are relying on 40 year-old Dirk and 12 points a game for life Barnes as their primary scorers on a potential playoff team. It's a shame that we can't see Giannis playing for a tactical magician like Carlisle.
Milwaukee Bucks
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Jabari Parker. That's an amazing core on paper. Granted, Parker and Middelton have gotten injured in the past few years, but it's a solid start. Even the signings of Delly and Teletovic are solid role player signing. Henson and Plumlee are solid defensive-minding, rim-running centers that t the scheme. But, none of their recent free agency moves have taken this team a step into the playoffs. The decision-making of this front office has been questionable at best.
- Greg Monroe is a slow-footed, defensively inept center who would probably be best suited in a triangle offense. The Bucks committed huge money to a barely playable center who has no trade value, saddling them with little cap space. Trade him now, please, even if it's for a quarter on the dollar.
- Michael Carter-Williams can't shoot, isn't a particularly good defensive guard, and isn't quite adept at playmaking. And then they traded him for Tony Snell, another player who can't really shoot and can't create his own offense, further burdening Giannis.
- Why did the Bucks pay Delly, Teletovic, and Plumlee a total of 33 million dollars a year? Do that not want any other scorers?
- The team has no wing depth behind Giannis, Middleton, and Snell. Brogdon is a step in the right direction, but he may not have the foot speed or the consistent jumper to be a solid rotation player going forward.
There's obviously room to improve, even if Middleton's injury sets them back a year. But the franchise needs to start targeting playable offensive commodities in free agency to address the creativity issues they have, both in the starting lineup and the bench. Maybe the Jazz upheaval won't go exactly the way it needs to and the Bucks can snag Gordon Hayward and really open up the floor. Maybe even trade Parker for some bench help. Or bring Parker o ff the bench to brutalize second units and finish with the nightmare small-ball lineup that's deceptively huge of Delly, Middleton, Hayward, Parker, and Giannis. The possibilities are endless, even if many of the possibilities are ones that the Bucks are going to screw up. At least, they made the right decision in extending the best international project we've seen since Dirk.
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