Commander of the defense force
Antetokounmpo named DPOY
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo added to his trophy collection on Tuesday when he was recognized as the NBA's defensive player of the year for 2019-20 based on games played through March 11.
The announcement came live on TNT's “Inside the NBA,” where host Johnson introduced Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer, who was given the opportunity to bestow the award on Antetokounmpo.
“Congrats to Giannis on being named defensive player of the year,” Budenholzer said, sitting beside the Bucks star in a room filled with Milwaukee's players and staff. “His commitment to defending, his commitment to winning is beyond incredible. He impacts the game with his blocked shots, his rebounding, his ability to guard all five positions, his chasedown blocks, his challenge to do everything defensively. His talent is beyond special and combined with his team's it's made for a very special moment and for us to recognize his as the defensive player of the year.”
At that moment, Bucks center Brook Lopez, who was seated on the other side of Antetokounmpo, passed the trophy to Antetokounmpo, offerErnie
ing a few slaps on the back while the rest of the team applauded.
Antetokounmpo proceeded to thank God, his family and Budenholzer before turning the attention to his teammates. As he did, he started to tear up, apologizing and drawing a laugh from them when telling them he had said he wasn't going to cry.
“Without my teammates this wouldn't be possible,” Antetokounmpo said. “I know that my name is on this trophy, but it could be any of these guys' names on this trophy. I believe that defense is building trust and effort. We trust one another, we care about one another, we believe in one another – that's why we're the best defensive team in the NBA and we're gonna keep it that way.”
Antetokounmpo became the first Bucks player to claim the award since Sidney Moncrief in 1983 and 1984. He also became just the fifth NBA player to be named both most valuable player and defensive player of the year in his career, joining Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson and Kevin Garnett. Antetokounmpo is the first player to win those two awards as well as most improved player, an honor he earned in 2017.
The voting itself wasn't all that close. The best defender on the league's best defensive team, Antetokounmpo earned 75 out of 100 first-place votes from the media panel that decides NBA awards. Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis finished second, edging out last year's winner, Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert. Lopez, who served as Milwaukee's anchor at the center of the Bucks defense, earned four third-place votes.
When Antetokounmpo was on the court this season, opposing teams scored just 96.5 points per 100 possessions, the lowest defensive rating among the more than 300 players who averaged at least 15 minutes per game. He held opponents to 36.5% shooting when they were matched up against him, again the lowest mark in the league.
If you keep looking at advanced defensive metrics, you'd consistently find
Antetokounmpo's name at the top. He led the league in defensive rating – Lopez and Bucks guard Donte DiVincenzo were behind him – defensive win shares and defensive box plus-minus.
Whether he was providing help from the weak side, defending along the perimeter, patrolling the paint, chasing opponents down in transition or defending opponents in isolation, Antetokounmpo proved to be a menace no matter who he was against. With his 6foot-11 frame, quick feet, athleticism and long arms, Antetokounmpo posed problems to guards, forwards and centers alike.
And when opponents missed shots, Antetokounmpo was always likely to gobble up the rebound. His 11.5 defensive rebounds per game were the most in the league, something that made him effect not just on defense, but often also allowed him to push out on the break where he was nearly unstoppable as a scorer and playmaker.
On the verge
The top-seeded Bucks and the eighth-seeded Orlando Magic are the only teams in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs headed to a Game 5, which will be played at 3 p.m. Wednesday with the Bucks up, 3-1.
The teams that advanced aren't all that surprising, but the fact that the Miami Heat so easily dispatched the Indiana Pacers and the Boston Celtics dismantling of The Process and the Philadelphia 76ers in four game raised some eyebrows.
Meanwhile, the Bucks, who have been a shoo-in for the second round virtually since the season started, are raising eyebrows for different reasons. While other teams have advanced, Milwaukee has suddenly gained the perception of vulnerability.
The Bucks have beaten the Magic by double digits in three straight games, but the specter of their dreadful Game 1 performance has hung over them. While other teams were able to work through any issues to string together four straight wins – and the Bucks may be on the verge of doing the same – Milwaukee's postseason record is marred by that initial loss.
“Game 1 we just didn't bring it at all,” Bucks wing Khris Middleton said.
It seems, however, it was that performance that finally shook the Bucks from their doldrums in the bubble. Losing that game was what it took for Milwaukee to finally get going again and look like the team that won more games than any other in the 2019-20 regular season.
The difference between Game 1 and Game 4 has been stark. Antetokounmpo says it starts at the defensive end, where the Bucks have been excellent, allowing 100.3 points per 100 possessions over the past three games. In Game 1, their defensive rating was a dismal 114.5.
Yes, Orlando has shot a bevy of three-pointers and made them at a high clip, but that's nothing new for Milwaukee, which still managed those impressive defensive-efficiency numbers anyway, even while the Magic shot 40% or higher from long range in Games 3 and 4.
“We found our identity again, which is play defense,” Antetokounmpo said after Game 4. “It doesn't matter if you score the ball or not, we're just going to keep defending . ...
“We never lost our composure on the defensive end. We never took a step back when they started making shots. We just kept our energy high. And on offense, we figured it out. We play together. When you play defense and you get that energy from the whole team guarding, I think offense becomes a lot easier.”
Lopez noted Milwaukee has probably improved on some technical things over the games and the team also started shooting markedly better. However, those things aren't at the core of what stands out to him.
“We felt we weren't the team we are or are capable of being,” Lopez said after practice Tuesday in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. “Each and every game our effort has been there since then . ... The bottom line is we've come out and competed so much harder for these last three games.”
If the Bucks are going to be fashionably late in joining the rest of the club in the second round – where the Heat awaits them – they're going to have to earn it by building off the growth they've demonstrated over the past three games.
“As far as our mindset, we can't relax saying we have 13 games (to win the championship) or one game to get to the next round. It starts with Game 5,” Middleton said.
“That's the only way we get there. We have to win that game, we have to play as hard as we can. That team, they have nothing to lose at this point. They don't want to go home yet, so they're going to give us their all.”