Welcome to the Morning Shootaround, where every weekday you’ll get a fresh, topical column from one of SI.com’s NBA writers: Howard Beck on Mondays, Chris Mannix on Tuesdays, Michael Pina on Wednesdays, Chris Herring on Thursdays and Rohan Nadkarni on Fridays.
Back in December, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s decision to re-sign with the Bucks was cause for major celebration by an organization and fanbase that might’ve come apart sometime between then and now had he instead spent the season mulling it over. As the NBA’s two-time defending MVP and Defensive Player of the Year Antetokounmpo agreed to a mammoth five-year, $228 million extension nine days after his 26th birthday.