An up-and-down first week of EuroBasket action ended on a high for Giannis Antetokounmpo on Thursday.
Giannis scored 11 points (including 2/3 triples) and added a team-high 11 rebounds in 22 minutes as Greece held off a plucky Dutch team 68-65, sealing a perfect 5-0 record for Greece and along with it the top spot in Group C. They'll next face Belgium in the round of 16 at 7:30 am on Saturday (complete schedule and results here) -- buy some croissants and brew up a cappuccino for your EuroBreakfast, people!
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 11 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Greece past the Netherlands today. And about that jumper? Yeah, that's nice. #EuroBasket2015 #Hellas
Posted by BrewHoop.com on Thursday, September 10, 2015
Though he only took four shots overall and just one inside the arc (3/4 fg, 2/3 threes, 3/4 ft), this was in many ways Giannis' most involved game offensively as well (faint praise, but still). After spending most of the week floating around the perimeter and occasionally finding opportunities off cuts, Giannis was more assertive off the dribble on Thursday, repeatedly attacking the Dutch defense to draw fouls (5 in total) or find teammates for open shots (3 assists). Add in a couple of confidently-stroked threes and you have probably his best game of the week.
Selfishly I'd of course love to see him a bit more featured, but at a minimum it was good to see him more aggressive and decisive with the ball against the Dutch. Let's hope it's something he can build on with the elimination rounds --and a matchup with the winner of Spain/Poland in the quarterfinals -- beckoning.
Bucks expected to add Horford -- not that one -- to camp roster
Michael Scotto reports the Bucks are close to adding another camp body:
Source: Bucks are expected to bring in Jon Horford, the brother of Al Horford, on a training camp deal. Jon played for Michigan and Florida.
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) September 11, 2015
Jon Horford is a 6'10", 245-pound big who was mostly a role player over five collegiate seasons at Michigan and (most recently) Florida. He'd be the fourth guy to be added on a camp contract, joining Marcus Landry, Charlie Westbrook, and Josh Powell.
With that reported Horford signing (heh), the Bucks training camp roster has reached its max of 20. pic.twitter.com/2AxT9Ohor0
— Eric Buenning (@ericbuenning) September 11, 2015
People over the age of 35 may recall that Al and Jon's father Tito was drafted by the Bucks in the second of the 1988 draft and played sparingly over the subsequent two seasons in Milwaukee. Meanwhile, Al was the guy many of us had hoped the Bucks would land in the 2007 draft. After finishing with the league's third-worst record, the Bucks dropped three slots in the lottery and picked (gulp) Yi Jianlian sixth. Horford went fourth to Atlanta...and, well, the rest is history. We'll see you in Milwaukee one day, Al?