"That’s scary to me!" - Giannis Antetokounmpo sees a more dangerous Milwaukee Bucks squad as season progresses

Giannis Antetokounmpo sees Milwaukee as a team that is still a work in progress, as injuries have prevented the Bucks from building solid chemistry.

This is not their final form

But with a quick look at the Eastern Conference standings, one would surmise that the Bucks have been playing at full strength and that team chemistry is not an issue at all.

The Bucks have won 26 of their 40 games, and as of January 9th, they are just two and a half games behind the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Celtics.

Being able to sit at the upper part of the standings despite an injury-plagued roster should serve as a stern warning to the rest of the league that the Bucks are here to contend, Antetokounmpo said.

“We are going to lose some games, and we are going to win a lot of games, and even though we have not built the perfect habits, you know, and me personally, my opinion, where I believe we can be. Last night we’re second in the East. That’s scary to me,” said Antetokounmpo at the time when the Bucks and the Brooklyn Nets were still tied for second place.

The Greek Freak is yearning for the Bucks to have their key pieces play together

The two-time MVP marvels at the thought of spending more time on the floor with Khris Middleton, Joe Ingles, and Jrue Holiday.

“You know, and I believe when everybody gets acclimated, people know their role...Joe is feeling good and making plays, Khris comes back and Khris, being bad man that he is, and Jrue’s back and we playing, we running, we having fun and that all that click,” Antetokounmpo said.

Middleton has been bothered by a knee injury and has only played seven games this season. He missed his 12th straight game on Monday night when the Bucks narrowly beat the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, 105-101.

Signed by the Bucks despite suffering a knee injury in the second of the 2021-22 season while playing for the Utah Jazz, Joe Ingles is starting to show what he can bring to the table.

Ingles has already played ten games for the Bucks and is good for 6.2 points per game, but his ability to make plays makes him a dependable asset.

The wily Australian, who is averaging almost four assists a game, had his best game as a Buck thus far when he fired a season-high 17 points in the team’s win over the Knicks.

Holiday has also been superb, as he is the Bucks’ second-leading scorer with 18.1 points a game. The point guard has already missed five games this season, but he is still quarterbacking the Bucks effectively with 7.1 assists per game.

Brook Lopez (14.5), Bobby Portis Jr. (14.1), and Grayson Allen (10.1) are averaging double-figures in scoring, and that helped the Bucks achieve early success despite its injury-plagued roster.

Antetokounmpo, the team’s leading scorer (31.7) and rebounder (11.8), believes that the Bucks’ current lineup has what it takes to go all the way.

“I go to war, I go to battle any day. I take my chance with those guys, any day, and whatever happens, happens,” he said.