Antetokounmpo Highlights!! (Will grow to 7 feet)

[lilojmayo]

He is amazing

You might be in line for a handle change.

I keep telling every. age wise Giannis should be a college freshman in the NCAA. If he were one, i'd take him easily over Andrew Wiggins as the #1 pick. Giannis would be putting up Kevin Durant/Michael Beasley college numbers w/o question.

[lilojmayo]

If you held the NBA Draft tomorrow and threw Giannis in the mix with the draft eligible players, he would be my #1 player. I'd feel good about taking him over both Parker and Wiggins, and only Embiid would give me some pause.

I still think Bucks fans, while obviously excited about him, still don't understand exactly how lucky we got with him. He has shown flashes which make me think it is quite plausible to project him as a generational talent.

If you compare him to Durant, who was a 20 ppg scorer at this point in his career, how does he stack up? By the time Durant was 23, he had already led the league in scoring three times.

At the same time, Durant played against much stronger competition prior to entering the NBA so was probably farther along in his development as a player. Going only on Giannis' upside, how does he compare to the player Durant currently is?

He looks like Durant in terms of body type, but he is just a very different style of player. He won't ever be the scorer Durant is. Durant is one of the five best scorers of all time. His offensive game is more Magic Johnson than it is Durant IMO. And even that is not a very good comparison, because of his slashing, rebounding, and play above the rim. He is a unique player who will need the right coach to understand that one of his great skills is his playmaking and creativity. The way he has acclimated so fast, and is able to make some of the passes he makes, sees some of the cuts he makes, and follows some of the shots he puts back indicates that he is a basketball savant. Can't wait to see how he develops, especially with an offseason or two with an NBA strength and conditioning program.

Giannis is will be more like a 7 ft Scottie Pippen w/ Batman intangibles

[FlagsFlyForever]

The body of Durant but the game of Iguodala.

I like that, good comparison. I don't think he'll get the assists Iguodala did/does, but being 6-10, he has way more upside (I will believe he'll be 7 feet when I see it).

If he could become the shooter that Durant is, or even just somebody the defense can't lay off, Giannis could be one of the best players in the league even if he doesn't dramatically improve in any other area of his game. I hope he lives in a basketball court this offseason and spends hours each day just working on his jumper. Thinking of the player he could become is tantalizing. I should not torture myself like this.

[pe_it72]

I think with the experience he is getting now it will really help his team d abilities which will lead to more future fast break points.

The year off off season training will be huge. In terms of body development. But that will take more than one off season.

I think the biggest jump will be in the half court game. That is when we will find out what or who we have. The kid already engulfs the court dribbling and spinning. It seams he gets to the free throw lie every time he goes to the cup.

The scary thing is he was supposed to be three years away from where he is today. So when he is on the floor hiding in the corner he is our fifth option. Imagine what the coaches can do for him next year when he is our number one option.

We run nothing for him right now and he is getting ten a game. Between defensive transition, integration of him in our offense, developed half court game and the fact that I truly believe he can get to the line ten times a game. I think this kid in the near future will score 20 points a game in his sleep if not more.

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[Tave]

I got a hypothetical question for you guys. Since Giannis is only a few months older then Parker and wiggins, if Giannis was in this up coming draft, where would he be drafted?

If you held the NBA Draft tomorrow and threw Giannis in the mix with the draft eligible players, he would be my #1 player. I'd feel good about taking him over both Parker and Wiggins, and only Embiid would give me some pause.

I still think Bucks fans, while obviously excited about him, still don't understand exactly how lucky we got with him. He has shown flashes which make me think it is quite plausible to project him as a generational talent.

If you compare him to Durant, who was a 20 ppg scorer at this point in his career, how does he stack up? By the time Durant was 23, he had already led the league in scoring three times.

At the same time, Durant played against much stronger competition prior to entering the NBA so was probably farther along in his development as a player. Going only on Giannis' upside, how does he compare to the player Durant currently is?

Giannis will be much stronger than Durant and probably at least as athletic. He's a more natural playmaker and a better defender at this point, but Durant was a far, far better shooter.

But developmentally Durant was playing ball as a toddler. Giannis was wandering around on the streets of Greece at 13 when a coach noticed him and convinced him to give it a shot. Within 6 years he's in the NBA.

[emunney]

I got a hypothetical question for you guys. Since Giannis is only a few months older then Parker and wiggins, if Giannis was in this up coming draft, where would he be drafted?

Well if he continued to play in the same league, he'd probably go later than he did last year given the lack of exposure and his age.

Probably would depend on how he progressed in that league, but it's worth noting that he'd have moved to Zaragoza (in the ACB) if he hadn't opted for the NBA.

[CJTURT]

A desktop BG I made of Giannis if anyone wants to use it. Took me a long ass time.

http://oi42.tinypic.com/2bv909.jpg

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQc4C-B7_jU[/youtube]

Quality. Nice work.

Bro, thanks. I appreciate that!!

[CJTURT]

The body of Durant but the game of Iguodala.

I really hope they turn him into a real point forward.

[skones]

I got a hypothetical question for you guys. Since Giannis is only a few months older then Parker and wiggins, if Giannis was in this up coming draft, where would he be drafted?

Well if he continued to play in the same league, he'd probably go later than he did last year given the lack of exposure and his age.

Probably would depend on how he progressed in that league, but it's worth noting that he'd have moved to Zaragoza (in the ACB) if he hadn't opted for the NBA.

Worth noting but still, given his age, strength, and experience it's still no guarantee if not unlikely that he would have received playing time that would have significantly improved his stock IMO. Younger guys generally get buried on the bench in Europe until their physical development catches up.

[ampd]

The body of Durant but the game of Iguodala.

I really hope they turn him into a real point forward.

Yeah I think if he really hits his absolute ceiling he is the primary ball handler with the keys to the offense.

[CJTURT]

The body of Durant but the game of Iguodala.

I really hope they turn him into a real point forward.

Yeah I think if he really hits his absolute ceiling he is the primary ball handler with the keys to the offense.

[Ayt]

Well if he continued to play in the same league, he'd probably go later than he did last year given the lack of exposure and his age.

Probably would depend on how he progressed in that league, but it's worth noting that he'd have moved to Zaragoza (in the ACB) if he hadn't opted for the NBA.

Worth noting but still, given his age, strength, and experience it's still no guarantee if not unlikely that he would have received playing time that would have significantly improved his stock IMO. Younger guys generally get buried on the bench in Europe until their physical development catches up.

He would have been a part of the rotation. Given how good he already is, I think he obviously would have been extremely productive and would have boosted his stock dramatically.

It was obvious from day 1 that Giannis could play against NBA caliber players. All that was lacking was tape against better competition. With him doing his thing in Spain, most of the mystery would have disappeared and he would have been a top 5 pick in this coming draft.

[rockmanslim]

I got a hypothetical question for you guys. Since Giannis is only a few months older then Parker and wiggins, if Giannis was in this up coming draft, where would he be drafted?

Another hypothetical question that gets to the point by eliminating the overseas competition and game footage excuse is this: If Giannis was in this upcoming draft, and 5 years from now (2019) we had a 2014 redraft, where would he be drafted in the redraft?

I'll go out on a limb and say #1.

[vlietinho]

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/5-on-5-040103/most-promising-rookies

Exciting to to read and think where we could be in 2-3 years if we get a top pick this draft

[HaroldinGMinor]

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/5-on-5-040103/most-promising-rookies

Exciting to to read and think where we could be in 2-3 years if we get a top pick this draft

"Giannis has a league-average PER and no idea what he's doing!"

Classic.

[MiltownHawkeye]

Giannis would be averaging 5 assists right now EASILY with a competent offensive coach, to go with his 8 rebounds. His natural playmaking ability at this stage in his career is unreal. I almost feel like he could stay this weight and size the rest of his career and still be a special player, then you factor in that he's growing in length an likely in muscle mass.

As others have said, the main thing holding him back right now is tentativeness. He ALWAYS hesitates before taking jumpers. It's not like he has a broken jumper or anything, his form is decent albeit in need of some coaching. He looks like he's afraid to take them. Part of it is that he has such a PG mentality and is always looking for the open guy, but he needs to fire away on those open threes. I would also love to see if he could develop more of an off-the-dribble game. Right now he is excellent at getting to the rim and the line as it is.We talk about him being a PG, but he won't really look like it unless he can start taking guards off the dribble and finding a rhythm getting easy jumpers over them. If he could do that, holy **** would he be a nightmare to guard.

[VooDoo7]

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/5-on-5-040103/most-promising-rookies

Exciting to to read and think where we could be in 2-3 years if we get a top pick this draft

"Giannis has a league-average PER and no idea what he's doing!"

Classic.

"Once we learn how to spell his name, there's no stopping him."

On a side note, I'm impressed with how quickly other teams' announcers have learned to pronounce his name.

[rockmanslim]

Ougko! (pronounced OO-goh...so, it rhymes with Yugo?)

http://www.bucksketball.com/2014/01/gia ... ther-name/

Ougko Antetokounmpo!

[FlagsFlyForever]

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/5-on-5-040103/most-promising-rookies

Exciting to to read and think where we could be in 2-3 years if we get a top pick this draft

"Giannis has a league-average PER and no idea what he's doing!"

Classic.

"Once we learn how to spell his name, there's no stopping him."

On a side note, I'm impressed with how quickly other teams' announcers have learned to pronounce his name.

The announcers of both teams talk to each other before games. They help each other out with questionable pronunciations as well as give each other little tidbits of information about the team.

[FlagsFlyForever]

Giannis would be averaging 5 assists right now EASILY with a competent offensive coach, to go with his 8 rebounds. His natural playmaking ability at this stage in his career is unreal. I almost feel like he could stay this weight and size the rest of his career and still be a special player, then you factor in that he's growing in length an likely in muscle mass.

As others have said, the main thing holding him back right now is tentativeness. He ALWAYS hesitates before taking jumpers. It's not like he has a broken jumper or anything, his form is decent albeit in need of some coaching. He looks like he's afraid to take them. Part of it is that he has such a PG mentality and is always looking for the open guy, but he needs to fire away on those open threes.

I don't think he could average 5 assists on any team right now, at least not without being a turnover machine. But I like that he hesitates. I don't like it, but I'll take it at this point. It shows he's a smart player who thinks about what he's doing. I'll take somebody who hesitates on shots he's not sure of over somebody like Brandon Knight shooting stupid shots any day of the week. Giannis can learn what is a smart shot and what isn't as he grows as a player.