"Run and dunk man can’t lead a team" - Giannis Antetokounmpo gets ridiculed by NBA fans as herculean effort goes in vain against Magic
Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks recently fell short against the Orlando Magic, losing 112-97 in their Saturday night matchup. Despite the loss, Antetokounmpo managed to come up with a double-double performance. Unfortunately, his efforts weren't enough to help rally the Bucks to victory.
With that in mind, fans on social media are blasting Giannis Antetokounmpo for not being able to carry his team despite his dominant performance. Here's what some fans had to say on X:
"Run and dunk man can’t lead a team"
"Not a winning player"
"Bucks offense looks really bad if he ain’t touching the ball. They need Dame asap."
"They got Lillard, but they still miss Jrue, especially on defense. Y'all forgot to mention G had 6 more turnovers."
"Lost to the Magic. Stat padding. Can't hit free throws. Run and dunk."
"8 turnovers + lost + empty stats"
"Meaningless stats giving he is on three games losing straight!"
"Why are you so afraid to say they lost? Wouldn’t do it when Pacers beat them and now won’t do it when Magic beat them"
Can Giannis Antetokounmpo turn things around for the Bucks?
Ever since the Damian Lillard trade happened during the offseason, many NBA fans expected the Milwaukee Bucks to become a more formidable team in the Eastern Conference. Considering how Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the MVP-caliber players in the league today, pairing him up with "Dame Time" should've been a scary pairing.
However, the exact opposite has happened and the Bucks are now struggling to rank at top of their conference. Since trading Jrue Holiday away, Milwaukee's defense isn't as solid as it used to be, allowing their opponents to blow them out consistently this season. Even with two highly offensive-oriented players like Antetokounmpo and Lillard, their lack of defense is killing them every night.
After a crushing blowout loss against the Orlando Magic on Saturday night, the Bucks now have a 5-4 record placing them 6th in the East. To make things worse, Lillard is currently dealing with a calf injury and will be out indefinitely, leaving Antetokounmpo alone to carry.
Looking at Giannis Antetokounmpo's stats, he's still a dominant force to be reckoned with. He's averaging 28.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.0 steals per game. His best performance so far this season was when he dropped 54 points and 12 rebounds on the Indiana Pacers. Unfortunately, despite all his efforts, the Bucks are still losing.
With all that said, Milwaukee will need to scout for players who can help boost their defense and could add a little bit of offense for extra firepower if they want to get back on track.