I am a little late to the party here, but in watching Milwaukee’s super star, The Greek Freak, I can see why he has ascended to the top of the NBA in this series against the Celtics.
Background
In 2013, the Milwaukee Bucks selected an 18 year old relative unknown player from Greece named Giannis Antetokounmpo. At 6’8″ and a long frame, Giannis was playing in the 3rd division in Athens. 14 teams passed on this guy, which made sense in some ways, given his lack of notoriety. The Nigerian descent immigrant struggled with his family to get citizenship despite being born in Greece.
Here are the 14 players selected ahead of Giannis:
- Anthony Bennett (CLE) – Doh!
- Victor Oladipo (ORL) – solid
- Otto Porter (WAS) – meh
- Cody Zeller (CAR) – ugh
- Alex Len (PHX) – ok
- Nerlens Noel (NO to PHI) – still waiting
- Ben McLemore (SAC) – No
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (DET) – yikes
- Trey Burke (MIN to Utah) – so-so
- CJ McCollum (POR) – Very good
- Michael Carter-Williams (PHI) – gulp – Philly passes 2x
- Steven Adams (OKC) – Ok, really good pro
- Kelly Olynyk (DAL to BOS) – Really?
- Shabazz Muhammad (UT to MIN) – Oh boy
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL) – And the legend began
I still can’t find who originally called Giannis “The Greek Freak,” but it probably was due to the difficulty in pronouncing his last name. Still, the young Nigerian, Greek-born player showed great potential early in his career with his unique blend of athleticism, length and work ethic.
From Novelty to MVP
Over the past 3 season, The Freak has continued to grow. Since the 2013 NBA Draft, Giannis has grown to be 6’11”, 242 lbs, still with that crazy wingspan of 7’3″ or greater. Here are his regular season stats over the past 3 years:
- 2016-2017 – 22.9 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 5.4 APG, 1.6 Steals/G and 1.9 Blocks/G
- 2017-2018 – 26.9 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 4.8 APG, 1.5 Steals/G and 1.4 Blocks/G
- 2018-2019 – 27.7 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 5.9 APG, 1.3 Steals/G and 1.5 Blocks/G
However, more importantly, NBA players are judged by their performances in the Playoffs. Look at his stats in the past 3 seasons:
- 2017 – 24.8 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 4.0 APG, 2.2 Steals/G, 1.7 Blocks/G – 1st Round Loss to Raptors
- 2018 – 25.7 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 6.3 APG, 1.4 Steals/G, 0.9 Blocks/G – 1st Round Loss to Celtics
- 2019 – 28.4 PPG, 11.9 RPG, 4.0 APG, 1.0 Steals/G, 1.5 Blocks/G – Up 3-1 vs. Celtics in Eastern Conference Semis
Forget about stats, which are getting better each year. At 24 years old, Giannis is completely dominating the game at both ends of the floor. He is doing all this without a jump shot. His ability to finish at will in the lane and getting to the foul line is almost an inverse in the current NBA which involves “stretch” forwards who shoot the ball from deep. I’ve been extremely impressed with his leadership and poise. The Celtics came out in Game 1 of this Eastern Conference Semis series and took him out of the game leading to a road win. However, the Bucks’ coaching staff made adjustments, and since then, Giannis is getting progressively more dominant. He looks like he will edge James Harden out for the MVP this year.
Defining Moment
When I was a kid, we didn’t have cable tv, so I missed the first and 2nd regular season of the Jordan era. In fact, I remember vividly, the first time I ever saw MJ play for the Bulls. It was the April 20, 1986 in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference 1st Round. MJ put up 63 points in a double overtime loss to the eventual Champion Celtics. I knew at that moment, I would be a Jordan fan for life – and so lucky he played in my hometown of Chicago.
Monday, I felt the same way in watching Giannis. On the road, at Boston in a critical Game 4. The Freak drew his 4th personal foul and went to the bench with 8:18 left in the 3rd Quarter. Now, his team picked him up by extending the 1 point lead to as many as 10 points with Giannis on the bench. However, Giannis closed the game scoring 17 points in the 4th Quarter en route to 39 for the game including a dunk that made me jump out of my seat. This guy is incredible – 16 Rebounds and 4 Assists, plus his interview after the road win and commanding 3-1 series lead. He was humble and focused. In an age of Me, Me, Me, The Greek Freak is a star that the league needs.
I’m a believer now in Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks. Not just to win the East – which they are now the odds on favorite, but a +350 underdog to win the NBA Title. The Warriors and Rockets are fighting to represent the West, but they better be ready for The Freak and this very deep and cohesive Bucks squad.
Wegs