Charles Barkley issues blunt demand for Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo
09/05/2024 02:29 AM
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo recently married his fiancee in Greece, but Charles Barkley may have disturbed his honeymoon by challenging him to get better as a basketball player. If you asked the Round Mound of Rebound, the Bucks star still has plenty of holes in his game that keeps him from all-time great status, despite averaging 30.4 points on 64.9% true shooting last season.
In a recent interview with Bill Simmons, Charles Barkley said he remains unimpressed with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks.
“I’m not interested in Milwaukee at all,” Sir Charles said. “I’m not a Milwaukee guy… I think Giannis has to get better as a basketball player, you can’t just go up and down and play 1 v. 5 every time.”
Plugging the Bucks’ holes
Barkley’s comments about the 2021 Finals MVP seems familiar. After all, it sounds similar to James Harden’s previous critiques of Giannis’ game at the height of their beef in 2020.
“I wish I could just run–run and be seven feet, run and just dunk, like that takes no skill at all,” the ex-Houston Rockets star said, chuckling. “I gotta learn how to actually play basketball, have skill, you know?”
Both Harden and Barkley may have a point, as Giannis’ game is reminiscent of a younger LeBron James, able to get to the rim at will simply because he’s that much stronger than every defender on the floor.
Moreover, Giannis doesn’t seem to have much of a post-game either, since he usually operates from the top of the key and barrels down the lane for a dunk or a layup. The modern NBA simply doesn’t have many defenders who can stand in his way, except maybe Joel Embiid or Anthony Davis.
Despite his lack of offensive versatility, though, don’t expect the Bucks to fix what isn’t broken. After all, Giannis won two MVPs, an NBA championship, and a Finals MVP playing the way he does.
Maximizing stars
Still, though, in the modern NBA, teams will find a way to stop one-dimensional players in a playoff series. For instance, the 2011 Dallas Mavericks essentially dared LeBron to take jumpers, the only hole in his game at the time. They threw different defenders at him to make him uncomfortable, and limited his access to the paint using Tyson Chandler.
In this case, it falls on the team to build around their star’s weaknesses. Hence, the Bucks added Damian Lillard to help spread the floor and take defensive attention from Giannis. Khris Middleton is also a capable shooter who can make jumpers from the middle.
However, what if Giannis added Hakeem’s “dream shake” or Shaq’s drop-step dunk to his arsenal? It would extend his career after his physical advantages wouldn’t serve him anymore, and it would make the Bucks even harder to guard.
The post Charles Barkley issues blunt demand for Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo appeared first on ClutchPoints.
