Milwaukee Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo vs. Royce O’Neale
OK, now this one might get some raised eyebrows from my readers, but hear me out and allow me to explain. Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the best players currently in the game as absolutely evidenced by his MVP-winning performance of a year ago. There’s no one on any team that can totally stop him and that is especially true about the Utah Jazz who are now lacking somewhat in size in the frontcourt.
However, there have been some players that have been able to slow him down, one of which was Kawhi Leonard, formerly of the champion Toronto Raptors. In the playoff series between Milwaukee and Toronto, the Klaw was exceptional against the Greek Freak, and his sensational defense was a large reason why the Raptors emerged victorious.
Enter Royce O’Neale. No, he’s no Kawhi and by no means am I implying that. But, Royce is arguably the Utah Jazz’s best perimeter defender and is believed by many to be Utah’s starting four this year that will be tasked with taking on opposing bigs such as Giannis. This will be a tall task for O’Neale, but he’s proven up to it before as he continues to take massive strides on defense and uses his length and athleticism to give opponents troubles.
Even if O’Neale proves he can hold his own against Giannis and becomes the primary defender against him, it’s still unrealistic to expect their offensive outputs to be even in the same galaxy. Giannis averaged 27.7 points per game last year with O’Neale mustering just 5.2. Sure, O’Neale did much better in the playoffs and will likely have a heightened role this upcoming year, but that’s still a massive chasm.
It should also be noted, though, that by no means will O’Neale be the only one challenging Antetokounmpo. Rudy Gobert will certainly be called upon to help, as will the larger Jeff Green who may ultimately be tasked with filling the void left by Derrick Favors and Jae Crowder who were former options to tangle with Giannis. Nevertheless, as Royce aims to prove he possesses the kind of versatility the Jazz desperately need, expect him to draw some of this assignment.
And if O’Neale ends up being up to the task, it could work wonders for both his individual improvement and the Jazz’s odds of toppling teams with daunting, athletic bigs such as Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Scheduled Contests:
- 11/8 Milwaukee at Utah
- 11/25 Utah at Milwaukee