The Greek superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has occasionally appeared to be a man among boys as he continues to excel on the international scene. Throughout this run with Greece, Giannis has caused mayhem, and he shows no signs of slowing down.
In the most recent FIBA World Cup Qualifiers, he faced up against reigning two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic. However, despite Giannis’ 40 points, the Serbians prevailed. The next time around, he made sure Greece wouldn’t lose again by scoring 26 points. He also grabbed 7 rebounds in just under 28 minutes of play to help them overcome Belgium 85-68. He was at his nasty best, and Kendrick Perkins, who was quite complimentary of Antetokounmpo, noticed one particular highlight.
Most Dominant Player in the Game!!! Carry the hell on… https://t.co/CNUWcZcDrd
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) August 28, 2022
It is challenging to contest Perkins’ assertion that Giannis is currently the most dominant player in the world. At this moment, his athleticism is too much to handle. Plus, as he keeps becoming better at other facets of his game, it is getting harder and harder to stop him.
His roughly 34 points per game in that series nearly single-handedly carried the Bucks past the Celtics in the playoffs this past season. It was a brutal physical fight, and if Khris Middleton had been healthy, they would have won the NBA championship. Of course, we’ll never know how things would have turned out. But with Giannis at the height of his abilities, they’ll have plenty more chances to succeed.
Gilbert Arenas’ comments and Chris Broussard’s defense of Giannis Antetokounmpo
Surprisingly, he has recently come under fire, with Gilbert Arenas saying that Giannis is still learning the game of basketball. It was a reckless remark to make, and Arenas essentially backed it up afterward to make matters worse. Giannis: Is he perfect? No, but he’s still fantastic, and Chris Broussard defended him in response to Arenas’ remarks.
“Basketball is not a skills competition … In basketball, it’s about production and winning .. .He’s not Kevin Durant, he’s not Dirk Nowitzki, he just can’t shoot very well, but he’s got very good skills for a guy his size. And when you combine it with his athleticism, his production is off the charts!
At this moment in time, he should be beyond these little petty criticisms. They weren’t criticizing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar because he didn’t shoot 18-foot jump shots. They didn’t criticize Shaq because he didn’t shoot threes. So, don’t criticize Giannis because he doesn’t handle the ball like Kyrie Irving or shoot like Kevin Durant!”
Arenas’ comments against someone who has won two MVP awards, a defensive player of the year award to go along with that honor, and last year’s MVP of the Finals, are absurd. Giannis ought to be beyond such trivial comments, as Broussard also points out, given everything he has accomplished on the court in recent years. A title doesn’t seem to be enough for some of his critics, so you wonder what it will take for them to see how great he really is.
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