The Golden State Warriors’ Kevin Durant said that 22-year-old Giannis Antetokounmpo is his favorite player to watch and could be the best ever.
The Golden State Warriors will not be challenged by any team in the 2017-18 year unless one of the other contenders makes a big move. It would take the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Cleveland Cavaliers, or the Boston Celtics to make a trade that would keep their star core intact while adding another. It’s unlikely that we will see that happen this year.
There are teams that are putting themselves in the position to outlast the current Warriors. Teams that would challenge them in the coming years after the Warriors, presumably, win a few championships. Teams that could eventually topple Golden State.
One of those squads is the Milwaukee Bucks led by Giannis Antetokounmpo. The “Greek Freak” is the NBA’s most dangerous young weapon. At just 22, he’s already one of the ten best players in the league.
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Antetokounmpo is a legitimate star who continues to add to his game. Last year, he was tied for seventh in MVP voting. He averaged 22.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists.
The whole NBA world marveled at his abilities last season as he took huge strides. He represented positionless basketball at its finest. Antetokounmpo showed that he can be one of the best point guards in the whole league standing at nearly seven feet tall.
Fans weren’t the only one watching in amazement; apparently, Kevin Durant as was well. He talked about how much he admired the young Buck on his YouTube channel.
"“I like long, athletic guys. That’s just who I am. The Greek Freak I think is a force, and I’ve never seen anything like him. And his ceiling is probably—he could end up being the best player to ever play if he really wanted to. That’s pretty scary to think about. But he’s by far my favorite player to watch.”"
On the surface, that seems like a bold statement. But, if broken down, it might not be. Antetokounmpo is in a great position to make a run as one of the all-time greats.
At only 22 years old, he’s nearly unstoppable. He’s far from his prime and he’s continued to get better. There’s only one major flaw in his game: shooting.
While he’ll never be Stephen Curry, he could become an adequate-to-decent three-pointer shooter like how Michael Jordan and LeBron James did. Antetokounmpo has only shot over 30 percent from three just once in his career.
By the time he hits his prime, James, Curry, and Kevin Durant will, either, be past theirs or on the backend of theirs. It’s completely possible that players that aren’t even on most people’s radars will rise and take over the NBA. Right now, though, it looks like Antetokounmpo is next in line.
Whether or not he’ll be the best player of all-time is anyone’s guess, but he has the skills to dominate the league for years to come. Durant is right–the prospect of Antetokounmpo getting better is scary.