Giannis Antetokounmpo: The Continuing Evolution Of The NBA’s Next King

Started from the bottom, now he’s here.  How Giannis Antetokounmpo evolved from a raw, long-limbed project to the NBA’s brightest and most beloved young star.

If the NBA were truly a Game of Zones, then LeBron James still undoubtedly sits on the Iron Throne (despite the recent rises of both House Stephen Curry and House Kevin Durant — the two previous MVPs — and even more recently, the conjoining of said houses in an effort to dethrone the King).

LeBron represents a long line of rightful rulers and Lord of the NBA’s 30 Kingdoms. We have seen great conquerors dominate in eras past. Legends like Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Shaquille O’Neal, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and of course, the most revered dynasty of all-time, Michael Jordan, have all, one time or another, served as the undisputed face of the league.

This season, in many ways, marks the changing of the guard — the official ushering of the new era.  Gone (retired) are immortal figures and pillars of the 2000s in the aforementioned Kobe and Duncan, as well as Kevin Garnett.  Meanwhile, other “hand of the kings,” such as Paul Pierce and Dirk Nowitzki, are desperately holding onto their last legs.

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And, while present day luminaries like LeBron, KD and Steph still perform at a prestiged regard, there is a not-so-quiet uprising from the central prospects of the past few NBA Drafts.

Irrefutably, Russell Westbrook and James Harden have both taken their games to a stratosphere few have ever reached.  In deserting (in the case for the latter), or being deserted by (in the case for the former), house KD, the two enigmatic guards are seemingly making history night in and night out.

They deserve all the hoopla and glory after years of playing second and third fiddle to Durant.

But, perhaps even more intriguing this season, has been the vociferous emergence of the unicorns.

Over the past several drafts, we’ve been enamored at the prospects of these new-age seven-foot pterodactyls with guard-like skills and center-like defensive impact.

Have we ever seen a 7’3″ giant who moves as fluidly and can stop on a dime to hit a pull-up like Kristaps Porzingis?  What about someone with the inside-outside skill-set, packaged in a traditional center’s body, like Karl-Anthony Towns? And, if you’re a basketball fan, I’m sure you’ve drooled over the Joel Embiid workout clips more than once.

We’ve seen such potential come to fruition this season.  The Lativian Gangbanger is averaging 20-and-7, to go with two blocks and at least a handful of “Was there a glitch or did he just do that?” plays. Likewise, Embiid is putting up otherworldly per-minute numbers while hitting step-back Js and drop-step hooks on consecutive possessions.

The breakout unicorn of this season, however, has to be Giannis Antetokounmpo (from here on referred to as just Giannis or the Greek Freak).

When he was drafted with the 15th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, most had considered him to be a long-term project and calculated risk, with “bust” as his most likely outcome. The grainy footages of him playing in a glorified rec league certainly didn’t help that perception.

He would almost immediately change such skepticism when he arrived in Brew Town.  His jaw-dropping length was almost impossible to ignore, and unlike projects that are two years away from being two years away (still waiting on you, Bruno Caboclo), Giannis actually had a solid foundation of ball skills.

We would routinely see flashes of his ball-handling ability in the open court, where he was able to showcase his devastating concoction of unbelievably long strides, an ability to push the ball up the court, and insane length to finish above the rim.

Still, his frail frame at the time prevented him from fully utilizing his tools in half-court settings, as the slightest of bumps would send the Greek Freak off kilter.  As such, his lack of strength, combined with being placed in a more conventional wing-oriented role, caused Giannis to actually put up a lot more catch-and-shoot threes than we’ve grown accustomed to.  His 0.282 three-point Attempt Rate is still a career high in today’s three-point-frenzied NBA.

Likewise, defensively, coach Larry Drew used Giannis in a more traditional 3-and-D type of role.  Often times, his former coach would stick the Greek Freak on the opposing team’s most imposing and best wing. In such capacity, however, the young teenage prodigy would have his fair share of problems staying in front of shiftier swingman and fighter over the gauntlet of screens with all of his arms and legs.

Even so, his length was apparent, as at least once every couple of games he would swiftly recover after being beat of the dribble, and surprise his man with a chase-down special.

Over the next couple of seasons, as Jason Kidd took over the helm, Giannia grew bigger, stronger, and more frighteningly, longer.

Kidd and his coaching staff would begin to leverage the Greek Freak’s freakiness by putting the ball in his hands on offense and letting him roam and create havoc on D.  No longer was he serving as a bystander in the corner, who occasionally got a basket cutting to the hoop; he was now running pick-and-rolls at the top of the key, directing the break, and Euro-step dunking on Serge Ibaka.

On the other end, by putting him on the opposing team’s power forward, it fully unlocked the prospects of his ridiculous length. It enabled the Bucks to fully anticipate one-four spread pick-and-rolls by allowing the team to easily switch all actions.

Still, Giannis’ efforts, especially defensively, still very much waxed and waned as the grueling grind of the NBA season came to pass.

This season, however, the takeover has officially commenced.

Every game, the Freak will do something to leave your jaw widely agaped.  He is putting the pressure on opposing defenses nearly every play with his unrelenting vigor to attack the rack.  And, when his opponents lay back and dare him to shoot, he’s shown an ever-evolving repertoire of off-the-dribble moves that really highlight the strides he has made since entering the league.

The step-back jimmies, turnaround Js, and slick up-and-unders are just a testament to his hard work.

What is even more invigorating for basketball nerds all around the world, is his defensive impact.  No longer is Giannis aimlessly switching every action.  This season, he is picking his spots, reading when and where he should outright blitz the ballhandler and the times he should hang back to protect the rim.

The chiseled definition he’s gain in his arms gives him the chameleon-like frame to effectively bang down-low with bruising 4s like Taj Gibson, while still preserving the foot-speed to stay in front of world-class speedsters like John Wall.

At present, he’s averaging nearly 24 points on 61 percent True Shooting Percentage, to go along with nine rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocks a game.  He’s also second in the league in Player Efficiency Rating, fifth in Win Shares Per 48, second in Boxscore Plus-Minus, third in VORP, and fifth in Real Plus-Minus.

There is no doubt about it, Giannis Antetokounmpo has arrived. Get used to the Sport Illustrated covers and the walk-off game-winners at Madison Square Garden; this is just the beginning of the Greak Freak ride.

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In a world in which we are consumed to find the “next,” Giannis has emerged as the unlikely predecessor to assume the NBA throne.