1

You can’t spell Giannis Antetokounmpo without emotions.

And you can hardly watch him on a cool and sun-dried late-April playoff night in Milwaukee without them.

2

Milwaukee > Caledonia > Kenosha > Northbrook > Skokie > Chicago. And in between. And back. Giannis ran roughly the round-trip distance from Milwaukee to Chicago during games this regular season. They measure these things now.

He dribbled and sprinted and zigged 172.6 miles. That number placed him among the top-30 of the league.

The reward? Six more games and his first playoff miles, back and forth between Chicago and Milwaukee.

3

It has never really been about the numbers with Giannis, though. Granted, there is the annual preseason tradition of obsessing about his age and height (and wingspan). Next year, they will declare him taller and “21er.”

Yet the reason for his hype does not originate with a box score number, a 55-point game, or a run of triple-doubles. And probably this is in part because his traditional numbers are sometimes impressive but never overwhelming. In 164 NBA games (regular season and playoffs), he has never scored 30 points, racked up more than 15 rebounds, or reached 10 assists.

On an early-February night after a string of strong games, I asked him this in the middle of a five-minute pregame chat at his locker. Do you look at your own statistics?

“No. Never.”

4

That sounds good as a sound bite. As fans, we are constantly paranoid that someone on “our” team is looking out for their own numbers at the expense of the greater good of the team … even if ever-so-slightly, even if we are totally wrong to think that.

But is what Giannis said about never looking at his own statistics true? In the media, in time, we learn that some players and coaches and front office types say either something cliché or blasé enough that no one will ever care or remember, or alternatively, something people like to hear. With regard to the latter, Giannis — not even stateside for two years yet, by the way — is a genuine ace, and more than that, a natural.

5

Take, for example, the Shooting Sleeve Story. After a home win over the Celtics earlier this season, a crowd of 12 or 13 reporters gathered around his locker. Following an excessively shy and inconsistent jump-shooting start to the season, this marked the third straight game that Giannis shot the ball confidently and straight-on.

His explanation?

“Have you seen the movie ‘Like Mike’? Where he wears the shoes and is balling like Jordan? That’s the sleeve.”

That night, the Shooting Sleeve Story was all over Twitter, Reddit, everywhere. I was planning to write something about it. But I was too late. Giannis had told me the same story before the game in a one-on-one that he told the 12 or 13 humored reporters after the game. I sat on the quote before the game.

The next day, he was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week.

6

In the final regular season game of the year, a meaningless game, Giannis attempted last-second shots from beyond half court at the end of the first quarter and again at the end of the second quarter. Zero players on the team launched more last-second heaves from near half court than Giannis this season. He even made one, but it didn’t count, as he released the ball a good second after the buzzer.

Some players worry about their shooting percentages, so they hold on to the ball in those situations. You see it more and more, perhaps understandably, as players are judged more and more closely by their shooting percentages, their efficiency metrics. Long-range heaves are extremely low-percentage shots, so they bring down your field goal percentage and 3-point percentage. League-wide, shot attempts from half court and beyond were slightly down this year.

None of this proves whether Giannis looks at his own statistics. But watch him play, and every sign is that the only number he cares about is the number of team wins.

7

Even for one of the most surprising and feel-good teams in franchise history, a team with daily doses of esprit de corps, not every night in the NBA is a bowl of cherries. Not every post-game locker room scene is a huddle of mirth and jokes and laughing reporters.

Following a particularly dispiriting home loss early in the season, Giannis walked toward his locker, singing, la-la-something. He had a clear path to his locker. The small flock of tired and somber reporters huddled toward Khris Middleton. None seemed to notice this exchange behind them.

Veteran player: “Giannis. What are you doing?”

Giannis: “What, do you want me to cry?”

Veteran player: “We just lost man. Chill out.”

8

Here is an incomplete sampling of websites that have referred to Giannis as, quote, adorable: USAToday.com, Yahoo.com, CBSSports.com. The contrast of an abnormally large and lithe and physically powerful human waxing poetic about things like the first taste of a smoothie is instantly, say, refreshing.

Indeed, off the court, he is as pure as a leaf in the afternoon.

On the court, Giannis is increasingly, how to put this … leathery (to go by the dictionary definition of tough and flexible).

9

You know the stories about how Giannis gets up for certain individual players?

Think back to his first NBA start, as a rookie, against Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks. The Bucks lost the game in overtime, but that part is the footnote. In the overtime periods (there were two of them), Giannis forced two key turnovers while defending Anthony, annoyed him into a very difficult miss on one play, and fouled out on a hard hit on the one-time league scoring champ. The two exchanged words as Giannis left the court.

“The reason was Carmelo. I 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. I tried to not react and you have to respect him. 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.”

10

This season, Giannis went all the way to London to casually guarantee a win against the Knicks.

“I don’t think the Knicks have anything to lose. They lose 15 [straight] now. Tomorrow is going to be 16.”

Then he helped the Bucks jump to a 14–0 lead in an authoritative, showy, coast-to-coast win. He dunked all over Anthony on an and-one after a steal less than two minutes into the game. The two-handed smash left the former scoring champ lying down, looking up, under the hoop.

11

Three weeks later, without the sellout international crowd, without the national television, without the superstar player lined up across from him, Giannis still had no mercy in reserve.

Against one of the most nameless Lakers teams ever — Wayne Ellington was honestly the best player in their starting lineup that night — Giannis would set a new career-high with 25 points (he would re-set his career-high with 27 points in his next game, two nights later).

At one point in the Lakers game, Wesley Johnson clutched at his leg and hobbled stationary on his own side of the court as the Bucks went the other way on offense. The Lakers bench noticed. Most of the players on the court didn’t notice. Immediately sensing that the Bucks had a chance for a five-on-four opportunity to score, Giannis frantically called for the ball, arms waving in the air.

He got the ball, drove to the basket, and drew a foul.

12

Few players on this blue-green planet transformed their offensive role and approach more than Giannis this season.

Of the 19 players who suited up for the Bucks in his rookie season, Giannis ranked 18th in usage percentage. That stat is an estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player on the floor. In simpler words, it measures how prominently a player features in an offense (for perspective, Russell Westbrook has led the league the past two seasons).

In his first season, Giannis was ahead of one player on the team by this measure, and that one player was Ekpe Udoh. He was behind guys like Zaza Pachulia, Miroslav Raduljica, Nate Wolters, Chris Wright and Luke Ridnour.

Of the 20 players who suited up for the Bucks in his second season, Giannis ranked eighth in usage percentage.

13

As a rookie, Giannis often hung out in the corner as a tertiary option at best. Hard to believe now, but the 3-pointer was one of his preferred shots in his first year. More than a quarter of his field goal attempts (28.2 percent) came from beyond the arc. He shot 34.8 percent from long range as a rookie, only slightly below league average. But living on the perimeter in the halfcourt offense minimized his strengths, namely, finishing at the basket. As a sophomore, he phased out that 3-point shot almost entirely, attempting threes on merely 5.6 percent of his shots.

He might not look at his own statistics, but on the court and off, he is just self-aware enough (and not overly, or completely).

14

Instead, he focused on his strengths and got even stronger at them. More than half of his shots (50.6 percent) this season came within three feet of the hoop. That is the stuff of centers, ahead of Zaza Pachulia. And he made those inside shots count, converting at 64.6 percent in that range. That is also the stuff of centers, a pinch better than John Henson.

With defenses increasingly sagging off and keying to stop his drive, Giannis nonetheless finished in traffic with authority, more than quadrupling his number of and-ones from eight to 34 (in not even twice the number of minutes). And when he cannot quite finish, he often gets to the free throw line, where he improved his accuracy substantially, from 68.3 percent as a rookie to 74.1 percent as a sophomore. He finished with easily the best free throw rate on the team this year.

And for one reason or another, from his NBA debut on, Giannis always seems to have gotten his share of his star calls.

15

We watch sports because we played sports and so we know “I can’t do that.” But with Giannis, there is a bit of this-ness and that-ness which rings relatable, or at least puts it all in absurd and vivid perspective. We have all tried a hook shot. Giannis just sometimes dunks a hook shot.

16

Halfway through 34 Giannis Stories, and not one GIF or Vine.

17

Before the season, when Jason Kidd said that he would try Giannis at point guard, the idea was met with both excitement and skepticism. As a rookie, Giannis had played the majority of his minutes at shooting guard and small forward. As a sophomore, he increasingly played power forward as well as every other position on the court, including point guard.

General Manager John Hammond, who selected Giannis at number 15 overall in the 2013 draft, values amorphousness in an increasingly position-less league.

“It’s what you can do on the defensive end. And I think that Giannis did show glimpses of that this year, being able to defend multiple positions. I think very soon in his career he is going to be able to defend small forwards, power forwards and centers.”

Therein is the difference between being a so-called tweener (like the top overall pick in the Giannis draft, Anthony Bennett) and being versatile (like Draymond Green, whom Hammond brought up as a force of versatility during our conversation, which happened to precede a Warriors playoff game). It is not whether you have a clear-cut position; it is whether you can play a position, and defend a position. And in today’s game, and especially in Kidd’s hyper-aggressive and switching defensive scheme, the more positions, the merrier.

18

Players need to get over losses quickly. There is no time to dwell in the NBA. More than half of the Bucks games this regular season came after either zero days of rest or one day of rest. Different players have different routines. Some play video games. Some read. Some work out. Naps are an all-encompassing solution.

When the Bucks derailed in late-February, the team had a lot of losses to get over. They dropped 13 of 16 games to fall from contending for a home-court spot in the playoffs to simply contending for the playoffs.

After at least 10 games this season, mostly night games keep in mind, Giannis headed to the team practice facility in St. Francis that same evening to shoot hoops. That is how Giannis clears his mind, relaxes, gets over losses.

Hammond sees it too.

“He is always willing to be one of those guys who is the first one on the court and the last one to leave and come back and do extra work. He is a gym rat. He loves being on the floor. He loves being around the game. He loves talking about the game. He loves studying the game.”

19

Giannis told me this early in the 2014–15 regular season:

“Every year, every offseason, you have to add something. You don’t have to rush yourself. This year I am more aggressive, trying to drive the ball to the basket. Hopefully by the end of the year I will get more comfortable with making the 15-to-17 footer. So if I can come back next year and have the drive and the 15-to-17 footer. And at the end of the next year, get the 3-point shot a little bit more comfortable. Then in the fourth year, everything, you know.”

Through Dec. 31, Giannis was shooting 28.6 percent from the mid-range.

After that, he shot 45.1 percent from the mid-range. That was the same mid-range shooting percentage as Kevin Durant and Chris Bosh during that time. Not as many attempts as those two, and he had far more room to shoot than those two because scouting reports urged defenses to give him that shot. But the same percentage.

20

At 20, Giannis led a playoff team in a lot of ways. Things like: minutes played, games played, free throws made, free throw rate, defensive win shares. He improved year-over-year from his rookie campaign in virtually every single area.

21

He is getting there, according to the numbers. And he is not anywhere, according to him.

“I see myself as a student. Trying to learn everything. I don’t believe I have done anything yet.”

22

He also led the team in turnovers, despite not being the primary scorer or ballhandler.

And not only did he lead the team in personal fouls, he ranked second overall in the NBA. It is hard to find any other Buck ranked any higher in any statistical category. Lots of defensive fouls and lots of offensive fouls.

It seems like he should be a good offensive rebounder, but he has made little impact or progression on that front. He may just develop into one of the best defensive players in the league, and these numbers are flawed indicators of defensive prowess, but his block percentage and steal percentage hit a plateau as a sophomore. His second-year PER of 14.8 rates as ever-so-slightly below league average.

For all of the improvements, you could compare his basic per-minute numbers to Kenneth Faried or Kevin Seraphin, to Al Horford or Brandon Bass. Just depends from what angle you look at it. One of his closest statistical comparisons right now is Taj Gibson.

23

The fourth quarter was by far the worst quarter for the Bucks this season. They ranked 25th in point differential in the final quarter.

It was also by far the best quarter of the season for Giannis, who statistically got better and better throughout each quarter of the game this season, peaking with a 55.7 field goal percentage in 509 fourth-quarter minutes.

March brought plenty of losses, but it also brought forward the developmental part of the developmental year. That was difficult to deal with for fans, particularly after the team was in contention for a home-court spot in the playoffs going into All-Star Weekend. But testing Giannis as a lead option on offense may have long-term benefits, and it produced some surprisingly cheerful short-term results.

More than ever, the Bucks let Giannis run the fourth quarter offense down the stretch in March. And in 125 fourth-quarter minutes, he shot 65.8 percent from the field and 80.0 percent from the line. The Bucks also outscored opponents while he was on the floor in the fourth quarter. He turned the ball over too much, but he was more hit than miss. He was better late than ever.

24

There exists a kinship among those of us who would get this far down in a story about the Bucks. We are the type to not even admit that sometimes we like a little national attention. Here was Bill Simmons getting carried away in April and us pretending to not care.

“They will clear out for Giannis sometimes and it’s scary. Teams don’t know what to do. And he can basically do whatever he wants, and get whatever shot. He is super streaky, but he shows flashes that make me wonder if he is somebody that is going to average 25 points a game in the next couple years. I do think it’s in play.”

25

The Bucks would not have made the playoffs in the West. This is not some hypothetical. Their 41–41 record would have placed them firmly in 11th. And you play a more difficult schedule in the West. Cut another way, if the 16 best teams regardless of conference made it, the Bucks would have been number 16.

Overall, teams from the West went 263–187 against the East this season. As always, the West was so much better, to the point where you have to wonder if we can even judge teams and players accurately in the East.

26

In their single visit to Milwaukee this season, the defending champion Spurs dropped a casual 114 points on the Bucks, on the fourth-best defense in the NBA. Tim Duncan, he of 38 years in this solar system, in addition to an undisclosed number of years in a different solar system, led all players with seven assists.

With fans double-filing their way out of the stadium all simultaneously trying to beat the same traffic they were together creating, and the Bucks down by 11 points with 25 seconds to play in the game, Giannis grabbed the rebound and energetically pushed the ball down court. He started the game by making a long jumper and he tried to finish it that way. Miss. But then Miles Plumlee grabbed the offensive board, and Giannis put two hands up toward his new teammate, pleading for the ball. He got it with 14 seconds to play and still hopelessly down by 11 points. Giannis cleared out against Boris Diaw.

After a couple between-the-legs dribbles at the 3-point line, Giannis honestly did The God Shammgod (if you don’t know what this means, stop reading this story, look that up, watch the videos, start life anew). With that, he got Diaw turned around, swam toward the rim … and was met again by Diaw, who somehow caught up, got in front of Giannis, challenged the shot, forced the miss, and while barely laying two fingers on Giannis, nudged him to the ground. Giannis lay under the basket and instinctively lifted his two hands up just high enough to show his frustration but not quite high enough for anyone to see it. (Finals hero) Diaw and (Finals hero) Danny Green came over and lifted him up.

27

“I ignored the flashes of lightning all around me. They either had your number on them or they didn’t.”

That line from Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger struck me as I was reading that story as I was writing this story. I guess because Giannis plays with a zeal (or is it a zest?) that is simultaneously carefree and all-caring. I guess because he goes, and then you don’t even know what word to choose.

28

Odd yet true: Giannis played much better against the mighty West than the flighty East this season. The numbers are clear. On a per game basis, more points, more rebounds, more steals, higher usage, much better shooting numbers (55.7 field goal percentage against the West compared to 44.8 against the East, for example).

To ever play against the West in the postseason, all of those numbers must get a whole lot better still.

29

Prior to Game 3 in the first round, Giannis said that he had never had a good game against the Bulls in his career. In the first half of Game 3, in the first home playoff game of his NBA career, he scored 17 points. He finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds in the double-overtime loss.

30

While most people focus on height when it comes to Giannis growing, Hammond is excited about Giannis growing in a different way.

“Just imagine Giannis at 20 pounds heavier, 25 pounds heavier, and stronger, but still having the great feet, the great speed, and good lateral movement. Giannis is going to work very, very hard in the weight room to get stronger. And then there is going to be the other part, the natural maturation process.”

Can you imag — yes, Hammond (General Manager and Basketball Fan) is thinking what we are thinking.

“Can you imagine what Giannis is going to look like as a 24- or 25-year-old player?”

31

The Bucks ended up exactly in the middle at 41–41 this past season. The most middle place of all. The most usual place of all. To some, the most Bucks place of all. But for the first time in quite some time, it feels like they don’t need to be stuck there anymore.

Even as the Bucks hit a new low in a 54-point loss to end their season. Even as Giannis was ejected for a crass foul to end his season in the second quarter of Game 6. Even as he stood high over a sprawled Mike Dunleavy Jr. (a former Bucks player who is beloved or reviled based on whether he plays for your team, and someone who was lucky to escape a deserved ejection of his own earlier in the game after a punch to the face of Michael Carter-Williams).

You got the feeling that Giannis knew he was out and that his team was out, as he walked straight to the bench immediately after leveling Dunleavy Jr. to the front row, to the nearby feet of Bucks co-owner Wesley Edens. But the Bucks are no longer down.

32

No longer down, because the next time Giannis plays in the postseason here in Milwaukee, he will be joined by Jabari Parker. Because this story would not be a story at all without Parker, and what is budding around those two.

When watching the playoffs, you get a reminder of how hard it is to win in the NBA (e.g. the Spurs went out in the first round, then the Clippers went out in the second round). You also get a chance to decide whether you can imagine certain players taking that stage. For now it is hard to say whether Giannis could be the top player on an elite team, or the second- or third- or fourth-best player. But it sure feels like he fits in on an important team.

33

How far can the Bucks go next season? Probably not past the first or second round. That is not really the question that matters.

These are the questions that matter.

How many stories will you tell your friends, your kids, yourself about the Bucks team with Giannis? How high will the Bucks reach after the team moves into the new downtown arena? How many stories? How high? How many stories high?

We can all think like that now. We don’t know. Maybe we are just crazy to think that the Bucks (and not just some far-away Bucks, but some of these Bucks) could win a division, a conference, a championship. Maybe we just finally have something to be crazy about.

34

April or May or June, well, you can’t spell Giannis Antetokounmpo without mountaintops.