Giannis Antetokounmpo makes his case as the best in the world

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Nov 26, 2019, 2:32 PM UTC

Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.

What’s a defender to do when Giannis Antetokounmpo comes barreling to the rim with a full head of steam? It isn’t just about contending with his historically unprecedented combination of size and speed, though there is that. Regardless of if Giannis sees one, or two, or three defenders in the paint, the Bucks star always feels capable of hitting the right combination to pull off an indefensible move for a clean look. The Utah Jazz know exactly how it feels.

Antetokounmpo scored 50 on Monday night in a 122-118 win over the Jazz. It was Milwaukee’s eight straight victory, which is their longest winning streak since the halcyon days of 2002 with Ray Allen, ‘Big Dog’ Robinson, and Sam Cassell. He scored 32 second half points — and also finished the night with 14 rebounds, six assists, and two steals — for the second 50-point game of his career.

Just when it seemed like Luka Doncic’s MVP campaign was becoming undeniable, Antetokounmpo reminded us he’s still here and he’s only getting scarier. As Dan Devine asked at The Ringer earlier this month, how much better can a guy who won MVP and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting last year really get? Two weeks away from his 25th birthday, Antetokounmpo is making noticeable leaps as a passer and pull-up shooter. He’s hitting 83.1 percent of his shots at the rim (up from 76.9 percent last year), which is comical. He’s carrying an even bigger load and the Bucks are again leading the East, even with Khris Middleton hurt.

Here’s a take to start your Tuesday with: Antetokounmpo is the best basketball player in the world right now. This is backed up by all-in-one impact stats like PIPM, where he leads the league by a mile. It’s also backed up by logic: no one impacts every possession on both ends as consistently and as ferociously. To face Giannis is to know you don’t even have one second to breathe easy.

LeBron James is the most accomplished player of his generation. Kawhi Leonard just willed one team to a championship and has a new one positioned another as the favorites this year. We’ll be talking about both for generations. But when someone asks who the best basketball alive was in 2019, my answer will be Antetokounmpo.