Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo has taken the NBA by storm after entering the league as the measly 15th pick in the first round of the 2013 NBA Draft, but turning into easily the best player in that draft class. Just a few years later, and in the year of 2017, the length, athleticism, and skill of the 6 foot 11 small forward have taken a lot of people by surprise. Giannis has worked hard since he was a rookie and turned into one of the best players in the entire league. With this great talent comes great expectations, and a lot of players both past and present, fans and media members have expressed their thoughts on the potential of the Bucks star.
Kobe Bryant recently challenged Antetokounmpo to win the 2017-18 NBA MVP award, and Golden State Warriors all-star Kevin Durant made a huge statement, saying Giannis has the potential to become the greatest basketball player of all time.
With all these high expectations, it would be easy for the 22-year old to get ahead of himself. But his recent comments made after the 116-97 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers suggest the Greek Freak isn’t getting ahead of himself and staying humble.
Giannis talks about comparisons to LeBron
Whenever a player in the league is having an incredible season or playing at a remarkable level, they are often compared to one man, and that man is LeBron James. He has been at the top for over a decade, the bar is always set at the King’s mark, and the rest go from there.
Unlike some players in the past, Giannis Antetokounmpo is not ready to consider himself as the best player in the world or even to be on the level of King James. After starting the season averaging 38.3 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 5 APG and 2.7 SPG in his first 3 games, it is very deferential for Giannis to not feel better than everybody else, but that’s just how he is.
Giannis explained:
“I am not on that level yet. LeBron James is one of the best players in the league and one of the best to ever play the game. It’s great going against him but… I’m just Giannis.”
As the Bucks star states, he is just Giannis Antetokounmpo. A 22-year-old kid with a bright future. He is not going to get ahead of himself, although he certainly has a very scary future ahead in the National Basketball Association.
Are the Bucks underrated in the East?
When people talk about the dominant teams in the Eastern Conference, the first team that comes to mind is the reigning Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers followed by a few other teams including the Washington Wizards, Boston Celtics, and the Toronto Raptors. But a team people fail to mention a lot of the time is the Milwaukee Bucks. With a young and very talented squad who seems to be getting better offensively and defensively as the games go by, the Bucks could easily sneak into the top 3 in the East standings this season. And if Giannis wants to answer Kobe’s call and win the MVP award, a good team record would definitely help that.
