D'Amato: Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo needs help from teammates

The sample size is so small – three games of 82, or just 4% of the regular season – that it’s impossible to project where the Milwaukee Bucks will be in April, other than to say with certainty that they won’t be the same team they were in October.

Thanks in part to the quality of the opposition in the early going, though, a couple things already have stood out.

One, Giannis Antetokounmpo 3.0 is an upgrade from the 2016-’17 all-star model, with more horsepower and better handling. He’s stronger in the upper body and even more explosive. Though his outside shot is still a work in progress – and let’s face it, he may never be a threat from behind the three-point line – the best defenders in the league can’t stop him one on one.

Two, he needs more help from his teammates.

There’s always going to be a drop-off when Antetokounmpo isn’t on the floor, but it can’t be as dramatic as it has been.

If the Bucks are going to reach their goals, they’re going to need another player or two consistently performing at a near all-star level, and they’re going to have to get more production from the bench.

This is something coach Jason Kidd talked about on several occasions last season, and he was talking about it again Friday night, after the Bucks fell apart in the second half of their home opener and lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers, 116-97.

“I thought Giannis did a good job trying to find the open guy and also being aggressive,” Kidd said. “He scored a lot of points (34) but he needs his teammates to be able to make open shots to take some of the pressure off of him.”

Let’s start with the premise that Khris Middleton won’t continue to shoot 10% from behind the arc, as he did in the first two games (1 for 10 combined).

So the question then becomes, who else on this team scares opponents?

Tony Snell is money on the catch-and-shoot but that can be defended if no one else is making shots. Thon Maker has the range every team covets in a 7-footer, but he has trouble staying on the court; his length and aggressiveness are assets, but he has to learn how to use them without picking up early fouls.

Mirza Teletovic and Rashad Vaughn are paid to make shots and so far have not been earning their money. You love Matthew Dellavedova’s grit, but you don’t necessarily want him shooting 10 threes a game.

“For us, we’ve got to understand how we can get better,” Kidd said after the Cavs game. “That’s getting deflections and steals, but we’ve got to capitalize on the offensive end. We had too many wide-open shots that we missed tonight.”

The other half of the equation is figuring out a way to match the energy Antetokounmpo brings when he is not on the floor.

“We’ve got to continue to be aggressive and when he’s not in the game, play hard, play with the same energy, play with the same pace,” guard Malcolm Brogdon said. “The big thing that Giannis brings to the game for us is pace, being able to get up and down the floor and play fast. We’ve got to continue to do that and not lose momentum when he comes out of the game.”

The Bucks aren’t as talented as the Cavaliers, which puts them in the same boat with about 28 other teams in the league. They can hang with the best, however, when they all do what’s expected of them. The Greek Freak makes plays no one else in the world can make. But he can’t do everything.

“Having to put a team on your back and on your shoulders … he went through that process last year,” Middleton said. “He’s gotten away from that, putting everything on him. He needs to trust that we’re going to have his back, that we’re right there with him.”

Everyone’s comfort level will go up with more consistent shooting.

You just hope it’s a matter of when and not if.