Luka Doncic On Why Giannis Antetokounmpo Is The Best Right Now
Luka praised Giannis after their game on Nov. 27, but Giannis is not having any of it.
Luka Doncic is in the running for MVP this season.
But despite averaging ridiculous numbers -numbers that are Jordan-esque- to start the season off, he doesn't consider himself to be the best player in NBA.
After dropping 27 points and 12 assists -but eventually losing to the Milwaukee Bucks- on Nov. 27, Doncic told reporters that Giannis Antetokounmpo is the best player in the league.
He said that the “Greek Freak” is a hard worker and is constantly working on his weak skills (such as his shooting) while also working to perfect his strong skills.
And because of that, “he’s impossible to stop.”
Via ESPN:
"He's the best player in the NBA right now. He improves every day. He works really hard, you can see it," Doncic said of Antetokounmpo. "He works on everything. He works on his shot, and he's gotten better at a lot of things. He just gets better every day."
After hearing the nice things that Luka said about him after he scored 30 points and snatched 11 rebounds to help the Bucks win 124-115, Giannis replied to Luka’s adulation by praising the Mavericks’ guard (what are these guys? Canadians?).
"No matter wins or losses, just being respected by your peers, it's always a good feeling," Antetokounmpo said. "I always love playing against the best players in the league. He's an incredible player, incredible talent, arguably one of the most talented players I've ever seen in my lifetime. It's unbelievable what he can do for himself and his team."
Giannis Doesn’t Think He’s The Best
In the first 16 games of this season, Giannis has been continuing his terror on the league with averages of 30.9 points on 53.4 percent shooting, 11.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1 block per game.
But despite being one of the most feared players, he still doesn’t he’s the best.
During a presser back in September of 2021, a few months after he won his first NBA title and was awarded the Finals MVP trophy, he said the most Giannis thing: “I am not the best player in the world.”
Via CBS Sports:
"I like being a hunter," Antetokounmpo said. "I am not the best player in the world. I am telling you, I am not! KD, LeBron, Kawhi, Luka, Curry, AD might be. I am not. I am still hunting the All-Time Greats. LeBron is still the best player in the world."
Final Thoughts
Luka and Giannis are too humble and it’s refreshing to see.
Despite them being two of the five best players in the league right now, they’re not willing to attach the adjective “greatness” to their name.
They don’t care about their stats or accolades. They just want to get better at basketball and help their team win championships.
And these are the types of players that I like.