Giannis Antetokounmpo has been touted as the modern-day Shaquille O’Neal. He keeps scoring at an incredible rate. How incredible, you ask? Since 2019-20, he has been teetering on the edge of 1 point per minute. And now, since Christmas, he has broken that barrier.
Advertisement
Antetokounmpo has been excellent since the holidays, losing only four games. The Bucks are also the most informed team in the league, winning 15 games in a row. Out of this, Giannis only missed one game. Their last loss came against the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 21. This loss did not have Giannis playing, so the last time they lost while he was was on January 6, 2023.
In the 15 games since the last loss, he played less than 10 minutes twice. Apart from that, his average has been insanity. Only twice did he score less than 30 points; he has been over 30 points almost every game. He’s even scored two 50-point games during that time. Six 40-point games since Christmas.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has been the best scorer of this season – That still does not put him on the best-scorers list
Giannis and the Milwaukee Bucks have been the best team in the east and the whole league. They are touted to win it all, taking back the crown they lost out to Golden State last year. The Greek Freak has been their talisman, looking at a third MVP in the process.
With all that in place, he still does not reach the levels two other players have. Wilt Chamberlain and James Harden, are two of the best scorers the NBA has ever seen. They managed to do what Giannis has done only for 3 months, over the whole season.
The Beard and the Stilt are still the best individual scorers ever to play in the NBA, although fans may disagree. Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant may be the best effortless scorers the league has seen, but the beard in a Houston jersey was something else.
Wilt Chamberlain or James Harden – Who would be your pick as the best individual scorer?
The Stilt averaged 50.4 points a game – that should be an argument enough to shut every other one down. But what Harden did in his MVP year cannot be taken for granted. Sure, Wilt may have had the most number of 30+ point games in a row, but in the modern era, Harden was THAT guy.
His step-back 3s, while borderline travels, could not be stopped. And if they did find a way to stop the ball from going into the basket, it was a foul. No defense in the world could be used against him. The only way to stop him was to make him miss on his own – have bad nights, which he rarely did.
Giannis is on course to have that kind of a season, but with the way he has constantly struggled with injuries, he will not reach that level. Plus the Bucks rarely ever rely on one man – they are a proper team.
Also Read: Stephen Curry Matches Incredible Michael Jordan Statistic Amidst Being Out With Lower Leg Injury
