Giannis Antetokounmpo brought the NBA Jam video game to life in the 2016-17 season and leaped and dunked his way into the everyday talks of the league’s biggest and brightest in ways nobody saw coming.
Giannis Antetokounmpo took the NBA to new heights in winning Most Improved Player
Giannis showed us anything is possible in 2016-17.
Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images
That’s why he won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award. With apologies to Rudy Gobert and Nikola Jokic, Giannis was the only logical choice.
Nothing about him makes sense, and flashes of his athleticism evoked external screams even when the play didn’t end in a score. The second he put his head down toward the rim, it was time to run to Twitter for the highlights. Even in blowouts, he made it tough to turn the television off.
Behind a 6’11 frame, Antetotkounmpo ran the Bucks’ offense as a scorer, rebounder, and passer. He spun his way through the paint like a point guard, yet reached up for hook shots like a center. When the entire defense collapsed on him, he had hawk-eye vision to spot an open shooter.
The unpredictably of what he would, or even could, do next is what allowed him to finish in the top-20 in points, assists, rebounds, blocks, and steals. That’s something that was never done before in NBA history. No matter how much film you found on him, he brought something even more unthinkable the next night.
It’s terrifying that Giannis is years away from his prime, and that there’s more the Bucks can do to fill out his impossible frame.
Thanks to the Bucks’ competitive six-game playoff to the Raptors, the “Greek Freak” isn’t just a League Pass watch. He’s made for primetime television, even if the rest of his team’s roster isn’t. His long strides are now graceful, his handle is tight, and he’s destroying rims on his finishes.
This season proved that Giannis is here to stay as one of the league’s best all-around players, even at just 22 years old. He’s a safe bet to be among MVP candidates in the coming years, even in an era in which Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard and LeBron James reign. Most Improved is just a stepping stone to what he can accomplish in his career.
Here is what Giannis taught us a 6’11 point guard could do this season.
He became the 1st player to finish in the top-20 in all major stats
He told us terrible jokes
“Knock, knock?”
“Who’s there?”
“Obama.”
“Obama who?”
“OBAMAAAA SELF ....”
How can you not love this guy in all his corniness?
He taught us that it’s possible to touch the rim and the ground at the same time
He showed us that it takes just one dribble to dunk from half court
He showed us a double-clutch dunk that we didn’t know was possible
The Giannis mean mug became real a thing
He made his first All-Star game and took it very seriously
Giannis finished the night with 30 points, six rebounds, and three steals. THREE STEALS! Nobody plays defense in the All-Star game. He wasn’t afraid to dunk all over the first ever unanimous MVP either.
What can you do about someone who has the capability to stretch the floor in an instant without even having to put the ball on the ground?
He’s quick, he can leap, and out in transition there are few who can slow him down.
With all the unicorns the league is currently hoarding, his finished product may be the most anticipated.
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