Imagine a player who can defend your center and then play as point guard on the other end of the floor. Draymond Green has probably been the closest in the modern era but he’s not technically a point guard and only runs the offense in spurts. This type of player didn’t exist till Jason Kidd unleashed Giannis Antetokounmpo as his starting point guard. Antetokounmpo has terrorized defenses averaging 19 points, 10 rebounds, nearly 8 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Those are amazing numbers on par with NBA legends Oscar Robertson and Wilt Chamberlain. The scary thing is Antetokounmpo is only 21 years old despite being in the league three years.

Everyone expected the Milwaukee Bucks to continue their success from last season. But with Michael Carter Williams taking over for Brandon Knight, trading away their vets, and signing Greg Monroe things haven’t quite clicked again in Milwaukee. The hard nosed defense sunk to last place in most parts of the season and the offense was a mess. Milwaukee fell down the standings fast and struggled to form an offense with their new players. Crafting an efficient roster with only one starting shooter will create those kinds of problems in the modern NBA. Greivis Vasquez was supposed to come alleviate some of the burden off of MCW but he was injured as soon as the season started.

With Milwaukee struggling so much coach Jason Kidd decided to try his long awaited experiment a little early, having Antetokounmpo play as the starting point guard and having MCW and Monroe come off the bench. The results have been amazing. Milwaukee isn’t a contender or a top team just yet but things have clicked. Despite having little to no shooting still Milwaukee is making it happen. Most importantly, Jabari Parker, is showing glimpses of the player Milwaukee envisioned him to be in this new offense. This new offense is running at an efficiency rating of 109.1 which would be third in the league. This type of offense is probably unsustainable for Milwaukee but it shows glimpses of what is possible. Antetokounmpo is playing like a seasoned vet. This is experiment is real. It’s not just a novelty any longer. Antetokounmpo can play point guard and defenses should be terrified. This is exactly what Milwaukee envisioned in a positionless offense but it’s happening earlier. Teams are going to be scrambling trying to figure out how to defend a five man lineup of guys 6’8” and taller. Antetokounmpo is 6’11” and there’s no one even close to that size playing point. And if opposing teams send one of their wings to defend Antetokounmpo, their point guard will be forced onto Khris Middleton (averaging 18, 4, and 4) while standing 6’8” or Jabari Parker who will simply bully him in the post.

Antetokounmpo is making the right plays with the ball, he’s driving into the lane at a ridiculous pace, and he’s making the type of crafty passes offenses require. Now with MCW done for the season Antetokounmpo will have even more opportunity to run the offense for Milwaukee. Another reason this is Antetokounmpo experiment is so successful is defenses are scrambling to transition from offense to defense. Minnesota had Ricky Rubio guarding Antetokounmpo while on the other end he was defending Minnesota’s center, Karl Anthony Towns. This requires a lot of switching when running to the other side of the court and the thinking is that Milwaukee will continue exploiting this. The missing ingredients are currently big men. While Milwaukee has wings who can switch onto power forwards, it does not have power forwards who can switch onto wings (John Henson is quick enough and a good enough defender to do it occasionally). Greg Monroe hasn’t fit into this offense like many anticipated but Milwaukee has to tread lightly with what they decide to do with him. Monroe is Milwaukee’s biggest free agent acquisition in decades and trading him away after just one season might scare away other free agents interested. Milwaukee did some favors to its vets from last year by trading them to winning teams for basically nothing in order to build rapport as a player friendly team but they could chip away at all that with such a quick trade. However, Milwaukee also can’t pay Monroe 17+ million next season to player 25-30 minutes a game. Then again, perhaps with this booming salary gap they can but Monroe so far hasn’t looked entirely happy playing in Milwaukee. He has sulked on the court and had run ins with teammate Khris Middleton, who Milwaukee loves by the way.

Monroe likely saw himself as a bigger focal point in the offense but Milwaukee has turned to running more and playing at a higher pace, which simply doesn’t fit Monroe’s style. Monroe needs a particular play style to help him succeed and he hasn’t seen it in Detroit or Milwaukee so far. He has a center body and can’t protect the paint. At the same time he’s too slow to guard power forwards. The likeliest outcome is Milwaukee will check what they can get for him but probably hold onto him and let him go after next season. Monroe will only be traded if it gets Milwaukee the type of players it desires. Milwaukee can’t rely too much on free agency as history dictates that they will continue struggling to lure marquee free agents despite having great new owners and a great young lineup. Milwaukee is a small market and the weather doesn’t help. This offseason the Milwaukee Bucks will have plenty of cap room but don’t expect them to rush their current course. They would be foolish to throw a huge offer at one of the younger free agents expected to be overpaid this offseason. Milwaukee won’t be able to lure one of the premier free agent wings this offseason to complete their starting lineup and should sit out the free agency frenzy and wait for a better time to strike.

Milwaukee is in desperate need of shooting and while Ryan Anderson would be a great free agent pickup, a frontcourt of Anderson and Monroe would be the worst defense in the league. Milwaukee should continue developing and sign a veteran power forward to stretch the floor. Mirza Teletovic is 30 but can shoot the hell out of the ball (top 15 in three point shooting) while providing that missing veteran guidance. He could probably be had for 7-9 million a year. Marvin Williams would be another interesting option (shooting 40% from three point range) as he would fit into Milwaukee’s theme of switching everything as he could play as a stretch four and he’s a good enough defender to play against NBA small forwards. The Bucks should spend the rest of their money on quality veterans and young guys with upside. They should sign a veteran point guard like Kirk Hinrich (who lives in the Chicago area and would have an easy transition playing for Milwaukee) to help mentor the young Michael Carter Williams into a quality backup behind Antetokounmpo.

Milwaukee has to continue building their young core. Jabari Parker is finally getting it on offense. He runs the baseline into easy dunks, he can’t shoot but he’s crafty enough to create space for himself, and he’s strong and quick and uses that to get to the basket. He’s still behind on defense but he’s shown signs that he’s getting it. He will likely never be the next Carmelo Anthony as many envisioned him to be due to his shooting woes but he’s thrived playing next to Antetokounmpo. Khris Middleton is having an amazing year and may be a top three shooting guard at this point. Milwaukee also has quite a few sneaky good players. Miles Plumlee has been resurrected after falling off the face of the planet. John Henson is one of the best shot blockers in the league. Rashad Vaughn has mostly been a bust and Milwaukee probably should have drafted Bobby Portis instead but Vaughn is still young and has time to develop into the razor sharp scorer he was scouted as. Most importantly Milwaukee has to continue experimenting with this Antetokounmpo point guard lineup. Milwaukee will also likely have a top 10 pick in this season’s draft. Milwaukee’s “own the future” is finally starting to fit this group.