You could pretty much blindly predict that Giannis Antetokounmpo would average 30 points in the upcoming NBA season. The two-time MVP is simply one of the most dominant forces the league has ever seen. So we would assume that his country, Greece, would also be among the top international teams. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case.
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In the 2024-25 season, Antetokounmpo averaged 30.4 points while finishing third in MVP voting. The Milwaukee Bucks superstar, however, has struggled to find that same level of success playing for Greece. Antetokounmpo played in two friendly matches ahead of the 2025 EuroBasket.
The 6-foot-11 forward led Greece to a 104-86 victory over Latvia, finishing with 25 points. But in their next game against France, they were able to neutralize the nine-time All-Star. France dominated en route to a 92-77 win over Greece as Antetokounmpo was held to just 20 points on the night. NBA insider Tim McMahon knows why the Greek Freak falters while playing for his country.
Giannis’ poor performance against France led to a conversation between Brian Windhorst, Tim Bontemps, and McMahon regarding his inability to dominate in international games. They believe the answer to the puzzling trend is quite simple.
“The international game is tough on Giannis,” said Windhorst on The Hoop Collective. “They can just beat the hell out of him, and they just flop incessantly in front of him.”
The level of physicality allowed in international play is one of the biggest differences from the NBA. Team USA’s roster for the 2023 FIBA World Cup learned about the discrepancy the hard way. The types of calls from foul baiting or minimal contact in the NBA don’t exist in FIBA.
Antetokounmpo uses his strength to overpower his opponents in the NBA. Now, international teams always play with more physicality, which can throw the Greek star off his game. It doesn’t help that this style of play also restricts him against stronger opponents, at least in comparison to the league.
“The spacing is completely different with that lane and that style of play,” McMahon explained. He recalled a quote from Luka Doncic, which could explain Antetokounmpo’s struggles.
“In Luka’s rookie year, he said something about how much easier it is to score in the NBA than in Europe. People tried to make it a thing that he was taking a shot at NBA defense. All he was saying is that the spacing is completely different and much more open in the NBA. That obviously makes it a lot tougher on Giannis, who’s the best downhill attacker in the world,” McMahon said.
It’s not just the international teams either. Back during the 2019 NBA playoffs, the Toronto Raptors proved that the one way to stop Antetokounmpo was to form a wall. And that year’s Toronto roster had the necessary components for that defensive scheme to fully flourish under the NBA’s rules.
European teams can adopt that philosophy even if they don’t have the best defenders, since the physical play is a significant variable.
That said, McMahon and Windhorst aren’t ruling out the possibility that Antetokounmpo could thrive in the EuroBasket. It would be asinine to doubt one of the greatest players of all time. But the harsh reality is that the path isn’t simply as linear as it is in the NBA.
