With the 2020 Defensive Player of the Year award on file, Giannis Antetokounmpo typically had a garden of flowers given to him from the NBA community when the Milwaukee Bucks would put their clamps up defensively. Even with a non-reputable defender like Damian Lillard playing over 30 minutes, Doc Rivers’ scheme would still lock down opponents, and Antetokounmpo was the player at the top of the credits, similar to how film directors cap off an award-winning movie.
However, the Bucks had an overlooked anchor in Brook Lopez that Antetokounmpo was assisting. Ball knowers remember Lopez for being one of the league’s most elite interior defenders, and in two of his 17 seasons, the NBA gave him recognition on the All-Defensive teams.