Everybody is aware of that Giannis Antetokounmpo is without doubt one of the finest gamers within the NBA, however what makes him nice?
The Milwaukee Bucks drafted Antetokounmpo with the fifteenth choose within the 2013 draft, and it has turned out to be one of many greatest steals in league historical past.
The Greek Freak has gained two Most Beneficial Participant awards (2019 and 2020) and a championship (2021) and has repeatedly elevated his sport all through his profession.
Houston Rockets ahead Jabari Smith Jr has now defined precisely what it’s wish to defend towards Antetokounmpo.
Antetokounmpo is arguably the perfect two-way participant within the NBA, with reigning Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the one different contender.
There will not be many Defensive Participant of the 12 months award-winners who additionally common greater than 30 factors per sport.
This highlights the distinction between Antetokounmpo and most different superstars, together with Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic.
As Smith Jr shared on The Younger Man and The Three podcast with Trey Murphy III, “you don’t see” the identical excessive depth on each ends of the court docket fairly often.
“He performs onerous as s—,” he stated. “Any time I’ve performed him, he performs the identical. He’s crashing the glass, he’s taking part in onerous.
“You don’t see that from the highest 5 gamers within the league. The power he’s exerting, he’s taking part in onerous.”
Smith Jr truly performed towards Antetokounmpo within the second sport of his rookie season and instantly realized that he was on one other stage.
The Rockets star admits that the two-time MVP gave him a ‘welcome to the NBA second’ that he’ll all the time bear in mind.
“In my second sport within the NBA, we performed towards the Bucks. We’re going over movie, and it’s ‘Jabari Smith-Antetokounmpo.’ He had like 36. He was like 14-16.
“We have been in movie prepping, and we have been clearly saying, ‘construct a wall.’ There was no wall the entire sport. I felt like I used to be on an island. I used to be coming to the bench mad like, ‘The place is everyone at?’
“He was coming full velocity, euro step, dunk… I felt like there was nothing I may do. He was posting up, and I used to be attempting to entrance.
“There was nothing I may do, actually, so it was a really ‘welcome to the NBA’ second. John Lucas, who was our assistant coach, f—- with me on a regular basis about it.”
