Kendrick Perkins lists 5 traits which make Giannis Antetokounmpo a great player: “He’s got to tell corny a** dad jokes”
Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks has had an unbelievable stretch in the past eight games to lead his team. ESPN's Kendrick Perkins gave the crew of "NBA Today" five reasons why the Greak Freak has been great this season.
"We gon' point out Giannis Antetokounmpo and his greatness right now," Perkins said. "Following up after a 55-piece wing dinner career night (in a 123-113 win over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night), he plays and goes out there and gives those people 30, 21 and 12 (in a 104-101 overtime win at the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night," Perkins said.
He then listed five traits that make the 2021 champion great.
"One, availability," Perkins said. "Not sitting out like some of the other guys by choice, but making himself available coming out there and performing night in and night out. That's No. 1.
"No. 2, 'doability.' He worked on his body, 50 pounds of muscle. Controlling the paint, can move and play the center, do everything and he's reliable. You can count on him night in and night out. His body holds up, he's gonna show up to work, he's gonna punch in the clock.
"No. 3, trustworthy. You know he's gonna tell those corny a** dad jokes, but that's okay. He's gonna go home, he's gonna be with his family, he's gonna do everything that he's supposed to do as a professional. The organization can trust him. He's in great hands.
"No. 4, dominance. The most dominant player in the game, when it comes to leading the league in paint points, when it comes to not getting denied to get into the basket.
"No. 5, team. The ultimate team guy. Losing himself in the team. 'Cause now we see Giannis, we see him doing everything individually. We see the monster rebounds, we see the scoring. But guess what else we see? The playmaking ability that we're not giving him credit for."
The Bucks (25-13) are looking forward to getting their third straight win on Friday night against the Charlotte Hornets (10-29).
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Giannis Antetokounmpo's performance on Wednesday night against the Toronto Raptors
Giannis Antetokounmpo took care of business on Wednesday night as the Bucks won a close game against the Toronto Raptors. The Canada-based team mounted a comeback, but lost 104-101 in overtime. With that win, Milwaukee (25-13) moved into a tie for second place in the Eastern Conference.
Antetokounmpo had 30 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists while shooting a poor 38.9%. While he committed 12 turnovers, the win helped cover up his mistakes. Milwaukee struggled due to the absence of Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton and played on the road in the second game of a back-to-back.
For the 2022-23 season, the six-time All-Star is averaging 32.7 points, 12.1 rebounds and 5.4 assists, making him a candidate for MVP.
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