Why did Kendrick Perkins compare Giannis Antetokounmpo with Drake?
Giannis Antetokounmpo has continued to prove himself as one of the best basketball players in the world. Time and time again Giannis has defied the odds and put up superhuman numbers as he seeks his second championship. Although much of the MVP race has focused on Nikola Jokic, Giannis is certainly more than in the mix.
As the Milwaukee Bucks (39-17) fight for a top spot in the Eastern Conference with the Boston Celtics (41-16), Giannis is averaging 32.4 points per game. Add onto that 12.3 rebounds per game, the most in the NBA, and a 54% field-goal percentage, and it's clear he hasn't missed a beat.
The way Kendrick Perkins sees things, there's only one comparison that can be made for Giannis, and it isn't a basketball reference. On ESPN's "NBA Today," the former NBA player praised Antetokounmpo:
"When I look at Giannis, Giannis is the Drake of basketball. When you think about Drake, he has all the accolades. When you look at Drake, he never disappoints. He never makes us wait two or three years before he dropped an album, and when he do drop or when they do drop, it never disappoints. It's either gold or platinum, right?
"Same with Giannis Antetokounmpo, he never disappoints us. Even on his off night, it's still a great night for him. He's always available. He always shows up to work. And I remember when Drake had a knee brace on when he tore his ACL and he was still showing up on stage. This is Giannis' office."
You can view his comments in the video above, as the Milwaukee Bucks gear up for a massive showdown with the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night. His comments begin shortly before the four-minute mark.
Giannis Antetokounmpo's reign of dominance
As Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to dominate the NBA, it's become evident that many have become numb to his greatness. Night in and night out, Giannis continues to show that he's more than the "run and dunk" merchant James Harden once described him as.
With an ever-evolving bag of dribble moves, the only thing more surprising than Giannis' evolution has been how numb fans and analysts have become. While averaging a career-high in scoring should make The Greek Freak the talk of the NBA, the focus has been elsewhere.
Nick Wright recently spoke on "First Thing's First" about Giannis being slept on:
"Giannis is clearly the best player in basketball, LeBron and KD are clearly the two guys fighting at his heels the closest. We've gotten numb in a way similar to how we got numb to LeBron, you know, in his Heat years, of the consistent every night greatness he's delivering.
"So, I don't think there's any debate, I'm sorry, I personally, that Giannis is the best player in basketball. I don't think there's any debate anyone can have."
Depending on how things play out for the Milwaukee Bucks, it will be interesting to see whether Giannis Antetokounmpo is able slide into the MVP race. However, as the All-Star break approaches, it seems as though Nikola Jokic, who is leading the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference, is a shoo-in for the award.