MILWAUKEE — All Marvin Williams could do was shake his head from the sideline.

The Hornets forward had been waiting impatiently at the scorer’s table to check back into the game against Milwaukee, hoping that Charlotte’s reserves could keep his Bucks counterpart, Giannis Antetokounmpo, relatively quiet until he subbed in to reclaim the unenviable defensive assignment.

Instead, Williams watched his teammates produce an ill-advised jumper that, seconds after clanking off the rim, turned into a coast-to-coast basket and foul for Antetokounmpo. It was the type of play that has made the NBA’s budding sensation an early-season candidate for MVP.

“Anyone who averages 30 points a night is averaging 30 points a night for a reason,” Williams told me after the game, a 103-94 Bucks win in which Antetokounmpo logged 32 points, 14 rebounds and six assists. “But we let him get loose too many times, before our defense was set. With a guy like Giannis, that’s like giving Popeye a can of spinach. If you’re not set, he’s gonna score. Period.”

Popeye is a fitting comparison given the cartoonish stat lines Antetokounmpo’s posted while leading the Bucks to a 3-1 start. The Greek Freak is averaging 36.8 points, 10.8 boards and 5.3 dimes per game heading into Thursday’s matchup with Boston. That’s nearly 14 points more than he was averaging last season, one in which he won the Most Improved Player award. There could be far more improvement to come, as Antetokounmpo is still just 22 years old.