Observations from the Bucks' ring night

The Milwaukee Bucks kicked off their title defense in style

The NBA’s 75th anniversary season kicked off in Milwaukee where the defending champion Bucks put in a complete performance that ended with a 127-104 win over the Brooklyn Nets Tuesday night.

The Bucks were all business on the night where they received their 2020-21 championship rings and unveiled their second championship banner that now hangs in Fiserv Forum’s rafters. Even so, the Bucks still managed to soak in the fruits of their labor before thwarting what looks to be their biggest challenger in the East for the second straight season.

With that, let’s look at some of the biggest things that stood out from a historic night in Bucks history:

Past, Present, Future

Coronating the first ring night of his career, Giannis Antetokounmpo played the hits and led the Bucks with 32 points on 12-of-25 shooting, 14 rebounds and seven assists in nearly 31 minutes of run (side note: the Bucks were a +25 in Antetokounmpo’s minutes).

The dominance that Giannis showed throughout the night is nothing new at this point and the answers the Nets sought this offseason as an attempt to slow down the two-time MVP specifically were less than worthwhile in the opening game.

That wasn’t all for Antetokounmpo on Tuesday night, though. Antetokounmpo was among the first 25 players revealed in the NBA’s Top 75 players list that commemorates the league’s anniversary, joining contemporaries such as Kevin Durant and James Harden. With already a legendary resume in hand, the honor is far from surprising and Antetokounmpo could very likely be the youngest player to be included on the list at just 26 years old.

As he spoke about candidly during the Bucks’ title run last season and going into their title defense now, Antetokounmpo is not one to rest on his laurels and bask in his many achievements. He’s in the peak of his powers and he’s looking to maximize his and the Bucks’ glory years moving forward.

There are no more doubts or questions for Antetokounmpo to answer in terms of his legacy after being among the elite echelon of players to pass through the NBA over the years. And now the real fun begins in seeing where Antetokounmpo’s journey takes him as he looks to maintain his foothold at the top.

Opportunity Knocks

Tuesday night was also notable for the fact that it gave us many Bucks debuts for the likes of Grayson Allen, Georgios Kalaitzakis, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Justin Robinson. Given the cavalcade of injuries the Bucks are going through at the moment, and that list grew with Jrue Holiday leaving midway through the first half with a heel contusion, the Bucks’ depth is being tested from the jump here.

However, it all has opened the door for sophomore wing Jordan Nwora to stake his claim in the team’s rotation. Looking to graduate from the trench gang from last season, Nwora made quite the opening night impression by finishing with a 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting (3-for-6 from deep) and six boards in 26-and-a-half minutes off the bench.

Nwora popped and bolstered the Bucks’ strong offensive attack by hitting shots in trademark Nwora fashion. He can certainly veer into gunner territory at times, but the 23-year-old really settled in and showed off his crafty handle and scoring chops best when beating the shot clock late on a tough floater late in the third quarter to give the Bucks an 97-85 lead over Brooklyn.

For as good as Nwora’s offense looked to be, it was the other areas of his performance that proved to be as noteworthy as his steady scoring.

Nwora hustled on the glass to grab Nets misses and even straight up stole the ball away from an unsuspecting Paul Millsap late in the first quarter that led to Nwora’s first pair of points on the night. But the crowning highlight of Nwora’s night was rotating in front of the rim and going completely vertical to reject a driving Durant midway through the fourth quarter.

The effort and engagement Nwora displayed defensively and without the ball in his hands is absolutely key to earning any sort of role under head coach Mike Budenholzer. Defense remains the biggest key to the Bucks’ identity and showing the buy-in and discipline the Bucks have excelled in under Bud is a tall task for anyone, much less a second-year wing that had just played 274 total NBA minutes coming into this year.

Over the Budenholzer era, the Bucks haven’t had a developing piece of Nwora’s caliber and scoring profile rise from deep within their bench and carve out a meaningful role in the rotation. They also haven’t had many draft picks that have displayed such skills either, but I digress.

However, as the Bucks look to juice up their offensive firepower with the personnel moves they made on the periphery over the offseason, Nwora has the tools to inject some youth and exuberance into the fold. But it won’t come without the consistent effort and energy he exerted Tuesday night.

Celebrating History

Last but certainly not least, the ring ceremony proved to be the perfect cap to celebrate the Bucks’ title run.

Every touch of the ceremony was spot-on, starting with retired Bucks announcer Jim Paschke playing the role of emcee for the night. Given the fact that Paschke wasn’t able to take part in the Bucks’ championship parade in the summer due to having COVID-19 at the time, there was no better choice to be the host for such a night. And his embrace with Antetokounmpo as the two-time MVP earned his ring, all while wearing a ‘I heart Giannis” shirt, was the perfect snapshot to their wonderful relationship.

Recognizing and presenting former Bucks owner and U.S. senator, Herb Kohl, with a championship ring bought the house down in Fiserv Forum. We can say what we want about those Bucks teams under Kohl’s reign, and we certainly have, but there’s been no greater advocate of the Bucks throughout their history than Kohl. Seeing him getting his shine for his stewardship of the franchise as well as being able to keep them in Milwaukee on several occasions made it that much more sentimental last night.

It’s obviously been a long time since Milwaukee enjoyed a ring night. Judging by the reactions of players, coaches, management and Bucks fans throughout the night, it certainly wasn’t taken for granted by any means.