First off, LeBron James is unquestionably the single best player in the NBA, and has been since 2004. Steph Curry, James Harden, Blake Griffin and Kevin Durant are not difference-makers on the defensive end, while Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka are not strong enough on the offensive end to make the case. The best players in the league are able to improve their team significantly on both ends of the court, and that list is short- includes LeBron, Chris Paul, and Anthony Davis.
Of the talented young players in the NBA, the two with the highest ceilings are the aforementioned Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans and the Bucks' own Giannis Antetekounmpo. Davis is the obvious next heir to the title of best player in the league, but won't maintain the title for too long. Davis is 22 years old and played under the tutelage of John Calipari at Kentucky, while Giannis didn't play collegiately and is only 20 years old. Davis' game is a bit more refined than Giannis' because of these extra three years of quality coaching, but that bodes well for just how much better Giannis can get under the wing of Jason Kidd and his talented staff of assistant coaches. Look for Giannis to make noticeable statistical improvements in his game this year, and insert himself into the conversation for the title of NBA's best. Here's why he's got a chance at the title:
His Ceiling Is Unprecedented
There has never been another player like Giannis Antetekounmpo. His combination of physical tools, including his monstrous wingspan, strength, quickness, vision, ball handling, and athleticism make him the type of player that creates mismatches on offense no matter who is guarding him, and one who can defend almost any opposing player.
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Customarily, experts are able to compare young players to similar NBA talent, but Giannis is incomparable. His length, ballhandling abilities, The closest current player in size is Kevin Durant (pretty good company to keep), but Durant will never be the same caliber of defensive player. Giannis' defensive box plus/minus was at 2.1 last season, which is better than Durant's career high of 1.4 in 2012-2013. Look for Giannis' defensive numbers to continue to balloon as he matures. Of course, Giannis has a long way to go to become as good offensively as KD.
His Offensive Game Will Improve By Leaps and Bounds On A Yearly Basis
While Giannis is already an above-average defender, the gradual development of an impressive and unique skill-set on the offensive end is what will set him apart. He's a nightmare to defend when he's on his game offensively, as he's fast enough to take larger defenders off the dribble, big enough to post up smaller defenders, and smart enough to take advantage of defensive lapses by making quick cuts off the ball.
Last season, Giannis adopted Dirk Nowitzki's patented one-legged fall away jumper, which is virtually impossible to defend against a player his length. The move is effective because it initiates as a postup to get the defender back on his heels, and that maneuver is followed up by a quick stepback. Below he uses that move to take advantage of the larger defender, Tristan Thompson of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
When faced with a smaller defender, Giannis is adept at using his size and length to overpower them to create an easy basket or draw a foul in the post. His ability to finish in the paint is above average because of his great body control and his enormous hands, but the remarkable thing is that he can overpower larger defenders while being quicker than smaller defenders (you'd think it'd be the other way around.)
Here he is using his left hand when finishing after backing down a larger defender, power forward Thomas Robinson of the Portland Trail Blazers.
Here he uses his quickness in the post to blow by the much smaller Jamal Crawford.
The other side of Giannis' offensive game that will see improvement this season is his three-point shooting. Last year when asked what he fears most on the NBA court, Giannis replied "The 3-point line," but during the off-season he worked with Bucks shooting guru Josh Oppenheimer on speeding up and elevating his shot release. He hit more three-pointers in the If Giannis begins to hit the three pointer with regularity, it makes it that much more difficult for opposing teams to defend him. If he's being defended by an opposing power forward, he can shoot over them if they lag off and blow by them if they play him close. If he's being guarded by a smaller defender, he can post up and demand a double-team, which creates space for hot-shooting teammates like Khris Middleton or Greivis Vasquez.
Over the summer, Giannis played some impressive basketball with the Greek National Team, including showing off that improved shooting touch from deep and blocking shots as a help defender. Pay attention below to how well he moves without the ball, creating multiple opportunities for layups through intelligent cutting off of back-screens.
