The Milwaukee Bucks won the NBA championship just two seasons ago, yet some people continue to sleep on them.
A lot of that had to do with their failure to repeat as defending champions, not to mention the fact that they got swept in this year’s first round by the eight-seeded Miami Heat.
Nonetheless, they were still the best team in the league, at least record-wise, and Giannis Antetokounmpo getting hurt in Game 1 didn’t help their cause.
That’s why NBA analyst Jason Timpf won’t shut down the door on Giannis going toe-to-toe with Nikola Jokic for the ‘best player in the league’ distinction over the next half-decade.
Per Timpf, Giannis is the kind of hard-working guy who’s going to try and get better every single year, mostly because he doesn’t have a choice (via The Volume).
“I think he’s got a chance to go blow-for-blow with Nikola Jokić over the course of the next half-decade”
—@_JasonLT on the ceiling of his #3 player in the NBA: Giannis Antetokounmpo pic.twitter.com/yXsnaBVykJ
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) August 17, 2023
The Bucks will have to go through the Boston Celtics’ Big 3 of Kristaps Porzingis, Jaylen Brown, and Jayson Tatum, and could also square off vs. the Miami Heat with Damian Lillard.
So, if he manages to develop a somewhat consistent jump shot and starts making his free throws again, there’s no reason to believe he can’t be the best player in the game.
Of course, a lot of that is pretty subjective, and while Jokic is the undisputed No. 1 right now, we’ve already seen how fast player rankings can change in today’s game, and what seems like a lock or a given now might seem crazy five years from now; just ask guys like DeMarcus Cousins.
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