The Milwaukee Bucks have exercised the third-year contract option on Giannis Antetokounmpo and the fourth-year contract option on John Henson, General Manager John Hammond announced today.
Antetokounmpo, 19, appeared in 77 games last year during his rookie season and averaged 6.8 points with 4.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 24.6 minutes per contest. He ranked among the NBA’s rookie leaders in scoring (11th), rebounds (T-4th), assists (T-10th), field goal percentage (9th), 3-point percentage (4th), free throw percentage (9th), steals (6th), blocks (4th) and minutes (5th). He made the first of his 23 starts on Dec. 18 vs. New York and finished with 10 points and seven rebounds. In four preseason games this season, Antetokounmpo is averaging 7.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 block in 24.7 minutes.
Henson, 23, played in 70 games last season and ranked among the league leaders in blocks per game (1.7, 9th) and field goal percentage (.538, 13th). He also averaged 11.1 points and 7.1 rebounds in 26.5 minutes per game. Henson posted streaks of 21 and 15 consecutive games with at least one blocked shot, joining Serge Ibaka (OKC) and DeAndre Jordan (LAC) as the only players in the league with multiple streaks of 15-plus such games during the season. In his two NBA seasons, Henson has played in 133 games (32 starts), averaging 8.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 20.2 minutes per game. Through four preseason games, Henson is averaging 11.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.5 blocks per game.
Under the terms of the NBA’s current collective bargaining agreement, the first two years of a first round draft pick’s contract are guaranteed, while the third and fourth year of the contract are the team’s option.