National Basketball Association

Milwaukee Bucks: What Can Giannis Do in the Next Five Years?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Signing a deal worth nine figures comes with expectations, but what exactly can Giannis Antetokounmpo bring during this new deal with the Milwaukee Bucks?

On Tuesday, Giannis Antetokounmpo officially became the Milwaukee Bucks’ first $100 million man, and with that deal, he is guaranteed to be under contract until 2021. The organization gave him this deal because they believe in what he can do with the franchise in that time period.

We already know what Giannis can do now as a point forward, but how much better can he get? After the All-Star break last year, The Greek Freak put up numbers that have never been seen before. However, it might be a little premature to say that he will put up dominant stats for the entirety of a season.

It needs to be taken in to consideration that Antetokounmpo will only turn 22 years old in December of this year. In the last year of his contract, he will turn 26. For the Bucks to possess a productive player at his age is amazing because he still has a lot of room to improve. Bucks fans have not had an other-worldly talent like this in their memory. The idea of what Giannis can become with the Bucks is tantalizing.

The obvious comparison that comes to mind for The Greek Freak is LeBron James. I know this may seem unrealistic, but The King comes to mind because he is a dominant point forward, and we all hope Giannis can be one as well. Now there are major differences between the two. For example, it is hard to imagine Giannis having the physique of LeBron, and brute strength is at the core of James’ game.

Stephen Curry could also be a comparison for Giannis, even if in that case there isn’t such an obvious similarity between the games of Giannis and the unanimous MVP. Instead, the comparison is focused more on the way in which they impact or change the game.

Curry and the Golden State Warriors revolutionized the league with their small ball lineup. At the core of that dominance was Curry, with his impossibly accurate three-point stroke and ball handling ability. Most other teams in the league have been trying to replicate the winning formula of the Warriors with very little success. In the coming five years of Giannis with the Bucks, the Greek Freak can revolutionize the league himself.

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Once Giannis locks in to his role, he will be nearly un-guardable. When he brings the ball up the court and the defense put a big on him, he’ll fly right by them. Even if they put a smaller guy on him, Giannis will use his length to get past him and score, or kick out to a wide-open three.

In the 2015-16 regular season, no team had an answer to the Warriors. With Antetokounmpo under contract for the next five seasons, maybe teams will have no answer for the Bucks in the coming years.

The expectation for the Bucks is that they will a championship contending team in a matter of years. With Giannis locked up for the long-term, this goal is easier. However, on a larger scale, Giannis could be a once in a generation player who takes his team to a historical level by making the game his own. The future looks bright.