NBA Season Preview 2019-20: The one reason to watch each and every team

Milwaukee Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo … with a jumper?

The irony — and specularity — of a non-jump shooter winning MVP honors in a league that revolves around 3-point prowess shouldn’t be lost on anyone. Despite making just 52 triples on the year and shooting 25.7 percent from deep, Giannis Antetokounmpo ran away with the Maurice Podoloff trophy behind his 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.3 steals per game for a 60-win Milwaukee Bucks team.

Even without a 3-point shot to speak of, the Greek Freak was once again one of the NBA’s most captivating watches. On a nightly basis, he was good for 2-3 absurd highlights, and although he was a non-threat from downtown, he still made a ridiculous 57.8 percent of his shots overall.

He was unstoppable at the basket, where 604 of his 721 made field goals on the year came from, according to NBA.com. Yet despite opponents knowing where he was trying to go, and despite the scouting report indicating where his game was weakest, he still got to his spots and shot a ridiculous 69.3 percent on the at-the-rim looks that dominated his shot chart.

Giannis is a terrifying blend of length, strength, speed and ever-developing skill. Aside from going 3-for-7 from 3 in his first two preseason games, there haven’t been many signs he’ll suddenly be a competent 3-point shooter in 2019-20. But if he can even increase his efficiency to 30-33 percent from deep (like he did from Jan. 1 onward, making 32 percent of his triples), he’ll be absolutely unstoppable. And if he doesn’t, well, he’s still the reigning MVP and one of the league’s nightly walking highlights playing for one of its best teams.