Silver lining: Giannis Antetokounmpo is downright hooping.

Fresh off dropping a 59-point boomstick on the Detroit Pistons in an overtime victory that gave the Milwaukee Bucks their first string of consecutive wins this season, Giannis Antetokounmpo is now averaging a league-high 33.3 points combined with 12.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists. and 1.4 blocks.

His shot diet includes more long twos than last year, but that’s at least partly a result of Khris Middleton’s absence. They haven’t come at the expense of rim attempts either, and oh yeah, he’s ramming them in at a 50 percent clip.

Even by his own intergalactic standards, these numbers are insane. If the Bucks were less sad, Giannis would (potentially) challenge Nikola Jokić for the pole position on the early-season MVP ladders.

Admittedly, the 29-year-old is not running a perfect campaign. Free throw shooting remains an issue, and he’s not flawless in Milwaukee’s relationship with the defensive end of the court.

Still, there’s a visible shift in the intensity he’s played with over the past few games — the kind that puts (some) trade talk to bed and, more importantly, gives the Bucks immediate hope as they (presumably) get healthier.