Who is currently the better player: Shai or Giannis?

[GrindCityHustle]

Joker
Giannis
Wemby
Luka
SGA

I mean even SGA could say he could be 4th but I still go Luka until the next few seasons play out. Wemby is like Shaq level freak nature so he naturally is ahead of those 2 unless total disaster strikes for him.

[KGtabake]

No offense to SGA but Giannis is the best player in the world. He's been that since 2019.
Two way excellence.

[Rdude22]

Sounds like Shai is gonna have realgm furious again this year

He was better than Giannis last year, only slightly below Jokic in the reg season then slightly outplayed him in the semi-finals... a year after outplaying Luka in the semi-finals.

But bc he doesn't jump high, and is neither American nor European, he is the one person that unites all fanboys in universal dislike because he disrupts the stan wars and agendas. Can't d-ride Jokic to being top 10 all time or Luka/Tatum/Ant to be the best perimeter player of this generation if that cotdarn Canadian keeps winning

[Mavrelous]

This is the Dirk Vs KG argument TBH, I'd take SGA, elite scorers and closers are a must have on a contender, and Bucks most problematic roster build that was eventually their downfall in the Dame trade was to get a closer next to Giannis.

[PostGameDaVinci]

Giannis is clearly better. Shai is 4th at best behind Jokic, Giannis, and Luka, in that order. Giannis has way more gravity on offense. You can't guard Giannis without building a wall.

And he's the much better defender. Shai is like the 7th best defender on his roster, he just needs to be solid every night. If Giannis was the worst defender in his starting lineup, the other team literally wouldn't score. Games would end 187-0.

[TheCage4]

If you have a choice, Shai or Giannis, to take the winning shot in a game...it's Shai.

[pepe1991]

Giannis and you will see the best year yet from him this year I can see him in the 8 assist range 32-12-8 and his 3rd mvp

Playing 38 minutes a night?

Why go balls-to-the-wall when health has been an issue in the postseason?

I'm looking at Bucks roster... And he will have to be on MVP level form in order to even win 46 games with that group.

Matter of fact, there is good possibility that he has best individual season of his career and still only win like 43 games or so. That team is gutted.
Their guard starting spots are worst than bench of some teams.

And all talent they do have, plays at same PF-C spot.

[Packbuckman]

Giannis and you will see the best year yet from him this year I can see him in the 8 assist range 32-12-8 and his 3rd mvp

Playing 38 minutes a night?

Why go balls-to-the-wall when health has been an issue in the postseason?

Giannis ain’t playing 38 minutes a game lol
He will get those stats in his normal 32 minutes a game this bucks team is deeper younger and way more athletic then last years team. Just look at the last few weeks when dame went out with blood clots he averaged almost a triple double. All 5 starters besides Giannis are great 3 pt shooters and they got more coming off the bench. Rollins and Anthony are a very good 2nd unit with Portis Prince and Kuzma. I expect Rollins to have a break out year. 50 plus wins this year I can see happening

[JinKaz69]

- Team with no good/great player around : Giannis
- Team with other good players : Shai

[MoneyTalks41890]

Giannis is clearly better. Shai is 4th at best behind Jokic, Giannis, and Luka, in that order. Giannis has way more gravity on offense. You can't guard Giannis without building a wall.

And he's the much better defender. Shai is like the 7th best defender on his roster, he just needs to be solid every night. If Giannis was the worst defender in his starting lineup, the other team literally wouldn't score. Games would end 187-0.

Luka a distant 4th in this conversation.

[druggas]

You game plan to stop Giannis but not Shai.

[BlzMwt]

You game plan to stop Giannis but not Shai.

You don't think teams gameplan to stop the league's highest scorer?

[SkyHook]

I like Shai—he's incredible—but it's not disrespectful to say that Giannis is a better player than him. I've got him well ahead of Luka; I'm going to need to see at least a year of Doncic taking the game seriously before I elevate him any higher.

[MoneyTalks41890]

Jokic, Giannis, and Shai are all very close to each other with different strengths and weaknesses.

I have Shai at the top given his historic season and playoff run last year. But arguing any of the three is reasonable.

[brackdan70]

I’ll stick with the reigning MVP until proven otherwise. A healthy Giannis though is certainly arguably the best player in the league.

[MMyhre]

I was watching the OKC-MIL highlights from the other night and had the same thought.

Giannis should be ranked #2 player in the league, it's not close.

The same game SGA had in 19 minutes : 23 pts, 6 ast/2 to, 1-3 3pt, 6-8 ft, 3 stl, block and a +8? That's the game that made you decide it wasn't close? Lol.

In 25 mins Giannis had 16 pts, 5-8 fg, 6-10 ft, 7 reb, 4 ast/2 to, 2 stl, 1 blk -5.

I watched the highlights of Blazers - Warriors and I must say, Shaedon Sharpe should be ranked 9# player in the league over Curry, it's not close. It's almost equally as stupid as your statement.

I think Shai is going to be comfortably the better player this season, unless Giannis has a renaissance of his defensive intensity and impact (rank 24, 75, 17 & 82 in four advanced metrics last season. In his peak defensive years he was 1, 2, 2 & 3), but I surely will not base it off highlights from a game where the player I am comparing him to actually outperformed him.

It's going to be a fun season that's for sure...

[mattg]

This is the Dirk Vs KG argument TBH, I'd take SGA, elite scorers and closers are a must have on a contender, and Bucks most problematic roster build that was eventually their downfall in the Dame trade was to get a closer next to Giannis.

What an awful comparison. Giannis has outperformed SGA in the playoffs as a scorer in their careers on twice as large a sample size. And that's with removing SGA's early clipper stats and not removing any of Giannis' early career numbers. Not even going into Giannis being a DPOY on top of it. Giannis is a higher volume and more efficient scorer who literally closed the NBA Finals out in the most dominant fashion in the entire history of the NBA, no player has ever dominated a close out game the way Giannis did in 2021.

[Mavrelous]

This is the Dirk Vs KG argument TBH, I'd take SGA, elite scorers and closers are a must have on a contender, and Bucks most problematic roster build that was eventually their downfall in the Dame trade was to get a closer next to Giannis.

What an awful comparison. Giannis has outperformed SGA in the playoffs as a scorer in their careers on twice as large a sample size. And that's with removing SGA's early clipper stats and not removing any of Giannis' early career numbers. Not even going into Giannis being a DPOY on top of it. Giannis is a higher volume and more efficient scorer who literally closed the NBA Finals out in the most dominant fashion in the entire history of the NBA, no player has ever dominated a close out game the way Giannis did in 2021.

Kinda my point?
Giannis is the volume scorer and high usage player, but he isn't a good closer due to his limitation in half court and his FT.
Yes, he had a great series against the Suns, who also were a one hit wonder and a flawed team, he also had injury luck that year to pave his way and a team that was able to close out the ECF w/o him.

[NYKnickerbocker]

I mean even tho Shai knocks it down at a high clip, I feel like most coaches can live with him knocking down tough contested middys in single coverage with their best defensive player on him

If you don’t team scheme for Giannis he can and will dunk every single possession lol, no coach can live with that

[keevsnick1]

Shai's rankings in the top 100 according to ESPN, Hoops Hype, Si, Locked On, CBS, Ringer and Bleacher Report top 100 lists: 2, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2

Gianni's Ranks in those same lists: 4, 3, 3, 3, 4, 3, 3

Consensus: The people who make these rankings list think Shai is better.