Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo sends strong message about his place in today's NBA

Giannis Antetokounmpo has the task of guiding the Milwaukee Bucks through a season in which Damian Lillard was sidelined due to a blood clot. In this context, the Greek power forward reflected on the current playing style in the NBA and how he fits into that dynamic.

“Obviously, I’m kind of like the maverick of this league,” Giannis said in a recent interview with The Athletic. “The way the league is played right now, it’s totally different from the way I play. A lot of 3s, a lot of early shots, early in the shot clock, fast offense, free-flow, five-out offense.”

Antetokounmpo’s style on the court may not align with the most typical approach in today’s NBA, but that hasn’t diminished his impact on the game. Even in the Stephen Curry-inspired era of the league, where three-pointers dominate, the Greek star has found ways to stand out.

“Just me being efficient helps the team,” he said. “Say if I was just shooting 2s, and I was shooting 2s at 35 percent from the field. They might say, ‘OK, we want to get more 3s (from you).’ When you’re shooting 58, 60 percent, you’ve got to keep doing that. At the end of the day, you’ve got to put the ball in the basket.”

Damian Lillard #0 and Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks speak on the court during the first half against the Houston Rockets.

When it comes to putting the ball in the basket, Antetokounmpo is one of the best in the NBA. He currently ranks second in the league in points this season, averaging 30.4 per game, only behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who is averaging 34.2.

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Giannis reflects on NBA’s changes

In the same conversation with The Athletic, Giannis Antetokounmpo discussed how the NBA’s playing style has evolved since he joined the Milwaukee Bucks in 2013. “It’s totally different now,” he said before delving deeper into his analysis.

“We tried to put the ball in the post,” Giannis recalled about those early years. “We had Greg Monroe; we tried to feed him the ball in the post. There was Al Jefferson in Charlotte; you had to get the ball in the post. You had Zaza Pachulia, and you just tried to play off of them.”

Is Antetokounmpo underrated in the NBA?

A few weeks ago, Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers called out NBA analysts for not giving enough credit to Giannis Antetokounmpo. “It’s almost like he’s a forgotten great player in the league,” Rivers said. “I hear about everybody else, and I don’t hear enough about what Giannis is doing.”

Rivers’ comments may be linked to the distinct style that Giannis acknowledges he has compared to the current NBA paradigm. Perhaps this perceived lack of recognition stems from the difficulty in appreciating a player who doesn’t fit into the standards that are now dominant in the league. Nevertheless, in the end, the numbers speak for themselves, and there’s no denying the place Antetokounmpo holds.