September 17, 2019

The NBA’s reigning MVP enters the 2019-20 campaign as the likeliest option to go No. 1 overall in a vast majority of leagues. And with the astronomical numbers that he produced last year, who could say no to the Greek Freak’s production on a nightly basis? While he may not have shattered NBA scoring records like Houston’s James Harden, Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee to the league’s best record while averaging career highs in scoring (27.7 points per game), rebounding (12.5 per game) and assists (5.9 per game), while also accruing better than one steal and block per contest, making him a darling of category leagues far and wide. While many may clamor that Antetokounmpo has reached his ceiling from a fantasy production standpoint, there exists the tantalizing possibility that the Bucks’ franchise cornerstone may still yet develop that outside shot that he slowly incorporated into his game as the season went on. If his near nightly triple-double threat weren’t enough to convince owners to nab him, the fact that Antetokounmpo had six games last postseason in which he made multiple threes shows what could be on the horizon. It will be difficult to quantify how much rest head coach Mike Budenholzer will give his star should Milwaukee get out to a similarly commanding lead in the Eastern Conference this year, but any tempering of expectations as it pertains Antetokounmpo seems to be a case of grasping for illusory straws. In the case of auction leagues, let the bidding begin. In the case of daily fantasy, start seeking complimentary punt plays now. In the case of standard drafts, if you want your hands on Giannis, hope you nab the first pick.--Jesse Borek