Player Name: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)
Position: Forward
Height/Weight: 6-foot-11/222 pounds
Why you need to watch him on NBA League Pass: You can work on that pronunciation on your own time. (It’s anh-teh-toh-KUHN-poh, BTW.) Or you can just refer to him as “The Greek Freak”, a nickname well-earned during his first two seasons in the league.
Antetokounmpo has earned the attention he’ll get this season, what with his game-changing potential on both ends of the floor. But the highlights alone don’t do his still-evolving game justice.
Turn on League Pass and watch him work over the course of games and then you’ll truly appreciate what he could become. Still growing at 6-feet-11 and a spindly 222 pounds, Antetokounmpo is just 20 and has barely scratched the surface of the player he’ll become when his skills — and understanding of the game — catch up to his athleticism. He’ll be a force to be reckoned with when he adds the necessary strength to hold his position in and around the basket.
If he sees significant gains in his shooting stroke from deep (he was just 7-for-44, a brutal 16 percent, on 3-pointers last season after shooting 35 percent as a rookie), Bucks coach Jason Kidd will have a wicked assortment of frontcourt options — Greg Monroe, Jabari Parker, Khris Middleton, John Henson and Antetokounmpo. “The Greek Freak” could arguably one day be the most physically talented member of this crew. And if nothing else, you’ll love his highlights.
— Sekou Smith, NBA.com
