Pat Connaughton believes Giannis has the ability to replicate what LeBron James has been for the past two decades in the NBA.
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In terms of pure downhill power, Giannis and LeBron James might be the most potent offensive threats in that aspect since the turn of the century. ‘The King’ made it his mission to bully his way into the paint both in the half-court and the open court, leading to incredible statlines where he drops 30 points on 16 shot attempts from the field.
Giannis has been doing a similar thing as well as his lack of a pure jump-shot has led defenses to collapse within the paint. ‘The Greek Freak’ funnily enough, sees this as an opportunity to power through them all and has developed a nifty euro-step in the process.
Another part of Antetokounmpo’s game that has developed is his passing vision, something LeBron James is most known for. Having played the point guard position for Jason Kidd, the 2x MVP understands the nuances that come with being an oversized distributor on the floor.
Pat Connaughton on Giannis and LeBron James.
Pat Connaughton has been Giannis’s teammate on the Milwaukee Bucks for quite some time. They even won a championship together last season and so it’s safe to say that the he knows a thing or two about the capabilities of Giannis.
“Look, LeBron is LeBron because if his ability to get other people involved and Giannis has all the ability to do the exact same thing. And I think it’s just the more he sees his people guard him as the MVP, as a Finals MVP, the whole thing, he’s starting to anticipate how he affects the game without just scoring,” said Connaughton to ‘The Athletic’.
Giannis is currently averaging 5.9 assists a game, equaling his average from ‘18-’19 and ‘20-’21 but is posting up the highest ast/tov ratio of his career. So what Pat is saying about him is ringing true: he’s dishing the ball out at a career high level and is taking care of it as best as possible.
