If you haven’t learned how to pronounce Giannis Antetokounmpo’s name already, it’s time to start getting familiar with it.
The Greek Freak is on a tear to start this season and looks like a clear-cut all-star.
Antetokounmpo was a great player last season but is still improving. NBA coaches and players are in awe of Giannis’ skills this year. Antetokounmpo hopes to lead the Bucks to a deep playoff run this season.
When you looked at the MVP candidates before the season began, many big names surfaced: LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, just to name a few. After his first three games, you can’t help but talk about the Greek Freak. Giannis Antetokounmpo has been a quiet guy off the court, probably having to due to the fact that he is from Greece and his accented English isn’t something he likes to flaunt to the public. But on the court is a different story, as Giannis is nothing short of a beast. The Milwaukee Bucks forward was the 2016-17 NBA’s most improved player and has improved each of his stats every year he’s been in the league and this season looks no different.
The start of this NBA season has been a crazy one, to say the least, with injuries to players both stars and role, and the Warriors and Celtics both starting 1-2. But one thing people have become certain of is there’s an MVP candidate in Milwaukee. In the first four games, Antetokounmpo is averaging 38.3 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 5.0 APG, 2.7 SPG, and 1.0 BPG, this included a 37 points, 13 rebounds and 3 steals performance in a win over the Boston Celtics. This prompted Celtics head coach Brad Stevens to say “You saw the way he played tonight and you thought, that’s an MVP candidate for sure.” NBA players have also talked high praise for Giannis, Kevin Durant said “The Greek Freak, I think, is a force. I’ve never seen anything like him. 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. He’s by far my most favorite player to watch.”
Many analysts picked the Bucks to be a four or five seed in the East this season, but not many picking them to go past the second round. Antetokounmpo has to have some help as he tries to lead his Bucks team further than the critics say. He does have some talented players around him, such as last year’s rookie of the year in Malcolm Brogdon, Jabari Parker, Khris Middleton, and Greg Monroe. The Bucks have started at 3-1 to begin this season and hope to keep this up. But there’s no doubt that Antetokounmpo is in the MVP running and his chances are better than you might’ve thought.
