As expected, Giannis Antetokounmpo's first week as an NBA starter had its share of ups and downs. Early foul trouble against the Knicks and Cavs blunted the excitement over his first career starts, and 0/3 shooting starts against both the Sixers and Bobcats tempered our glee a bit further.
All of which has made his overall consistency over the past few weeks all the more surprising (and encouraging). Through four games as a starter he's averaged 34 mpg, 10.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, and 2.0 apg on a tidy .500/.500/.882 shooting line, comparable to his overall December numbers (11 games) of 8.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.7 apg in 26 mpg. Miroslav Raduljica (64.3%) is the only Buck with a better true shooting percentage (58.5%), the Bucks are nearly 12 pts/100 possessions better with him on the court, and--oh by the way--Chad Ford says he'd take him first if given a second chance at the 2013 draft. Make no mistake, the Bucks desperately need an impact player from next June's NBA draft, but the upside is that they may have picked one up last summer as well.
So while the Bucks don't play again until Thursday night, here's our Christmas gift to you: video above from last night's loss to the Bobcats (12 pts, 4 rebs) and all the best from the rest of his week below.
Sixers:
Cavs:
Knicks: