The Milwaukee Bucks aren’t going to win a lot of games this season, but have plenty of intriguing young players, not least of all Giannis “The Greek Freak” Antetokounmpo. He’s 6-foot-11 with giant hands, more of a forward than a guard, but he’s been working on his ballhandling this summer, and Bucks coach Jason Kidd says he’s getting the start at point guard in Tuesday’s preseason game against the Cleveland Cavaliers:
Antetokounmpo played some point guard at Summer League, even earning the nickname “Magic Giannison” from some observers. It remains to be seen how well this experiment will work in an actual NBA game, but the Bucks don’t really have any hopes of making the playoffs this season, so it’s good to see Kidd willing to experiment with unorthodox lineups and player combinations.
Bucks coach Jason Kidd on starters vs. Cavs on Tuesday: Giannis at PG, Middleton, Parker, Ilyasova and Pachulia.
— cfgardner (@cf_gardner) October 13, 2014
Antetokounmpo played some point guard at Summer League, even earning the nickname “Magic Giannison” from some observers. It remains to be seen how well this experiment will work in an actual NBA game, but the Bucks don’t really have any hopes of making the playoffs this season, so it’s good to see Kidd willing to experiment with unorthodox lineups and player combinations.
In theory, Antetokounmpo’s length should make him a matchup nightmare for other point guards. He could get beat off the dribble by a Kyrie Irving crossover and still have plenty of room to recover. If the experiment works, it gives the Bucks an utterly unique weapon that nobody else can match. If it doesn’t, at least they tried something different.
