Giannis Antetokounmpo lifting Milwaukee Bucks in more ways than one

The Greek Freak has had a massive presence for the team.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo drives to the basket against Denver Nuggets forward Spencer Jones. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Bucks are grateful to have Giannis Antetokounmpo back in the lineup for the team.

Antetokounmpo has been back with the Bucks for the past eight games and there has been considerable improvement from the team after his return. That is also reflected in NBA.com writer John Schuhmann's power rankings, where the team is placed at No. 21, one spot higher than the previous week.

"The Bucks are 5-3 since Giannis Antetokounmpo returned to the lineup, and they handed the Lakers their first clutch loss of the season on Friday. But they’re still not looking like anything better than a SoFi Play-In Tournament team in the East," Schuhmann wrote.

"The Bucks are now 6-15 (4-8 with Antetokounmpo) against the 16 teams currently over .500, a mark that includes a three-point loss (without him) in Minnesota three weeks ago. They’re back home to face the Wolves on Tuesday before hitting the road again and facing the Spurs for the first time."

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo moves the ball against Los Angeles Lakers forward Jake LaRavia. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Bucks moving up in NBA power rankings

The teams behind the Bucks and the power rankings are the Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Utah Jazz, Dallas Mavericks, Brooklyn Nets, New Orleans Pelicans, Washington Wizards, Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings. The Bucks have greatly improved thanks to Antetokounmpo's presence and the team is grateful to have him back on the floor.

"Antetokounmpo has recorded a positive plus-minus in seven of his eight games since his return, and the Bucks outscored Denver by 16 points in his 33 minutes on the floor on Sunday. But in an ironic twist, the Nuggets took advantage of the minutes when their opponent’s best player was on the bench, outscoring the Bucks by 20 in Antetokounmpo’s 15 minutes off the floor. Over the eight games total, Milwaukee has been 32 points per 100 possessions better with Antetokounmpo on the floor (plus-16.9) than its been with him off the floor (minus-15.1)," Schuhmann wrote.

"Antetokounmpo had just 12 points in the paint on Sunday, but is still averaging 24.7 points in the paint per 36 minutes, which would be the most for any player in the 30 seasons for which we have shot-location data. His field goal percentage in the paint (73.5%) and the percentage of his shots that have come in the paint (79%) are both the highest marks of his career."

The Bucks are back in action against the Minnesota Timberwolves tomorrow at 7 p.m. CT.