Giannis Antetokounmpo has a case to be called the best player in the world, but he doesn’t believe he deserves that title right now. During an interview with Complex Sports, Antetokounmpo stated that Jaylen Brown is the best player in the NBA following his exploits in the playoffs.
“I feel like the best player is the guy that wins the championship, wins it all, and is the best player on the team,” Antetokounmpo said. “So, the best player in the NBA, I would probably say Jaylen Brown, because you cannot say you’re the best player if you’re on the team who didn’t win.
“It doesn’t matter if you got the MVP or you’re All-NBA, if you don’t make your team win, you’re not the best,” Antetokounmpo continued. “… Last year, yeah, (Nikola) Jokic was (the) No. 1 player in the world. And before that, it was Steph Curry No. 1 player in the world. And before that it was Giannis Antetokounmpo No. 1 player in the world. That’s how I see it. People don’t like that but it’s the reality of things.”
Brown helped the Boston Celtics win the 2024 NBA title and was named Finals MVP and Eastern Conference Finals MVP. He had a terrific postseason and as he was the best player for the Celtics on that run, Antetokounmpo believes he deserves to be called the best. The Milwaukee Bucks star has indeed been very consistent when it comes to this topic too.
After the Golden State Warriors won the title in 2022, Antetokounmpo said Stephen Curry is the best player in the world.
“Do I believe I am the best player in the world? No. I think the best player in the world is the person that is the last one standing. It’s the person who takes his team to the finish line and helps them win the game. Two years ago when we did that, yeah. When I was sleeping in my bed I said ‘Ohhh yeah, maybe I am the best player in the world.’ But now, no. In my opinion, the way I view it, the winner is the best. The guy that wins is the best… I believe the best player in the world is Steph Curry until the next player.”
That next player was Nikola Jokic and the one after him was Brown. I understand the line of thinking, but I don’t agree with it.
Brown averaged 23.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game last season and is undoubtedly one of the best two-way players in the NBA. The 27-year-old is not in the conversation for the very best player in the league, though, and I don’t think he ever will be.
Brown is not the same caliber of player as Antetokounmpo, Jokic, or Luka Doncic, and I’m not trying to disrespect him by saying that. Only a few in NBA history have managed to get to their level or hit even greater heights and there is no shame in not being one of those players.
Kenny Smith Thinks Giannis Antetokounmpo Is The Best Player In The NBA Leading Up To The 2024-25 Season
While Antetokounmpo doesn’t consider himself to be the best player in the NBA right now, there are plenty of others who do. TNT’s Kenny Smith is one of them, as he had Giannis at No. 1 in his player rankings leading up to the 2024-25 season.
Antetokounmpo averaged 30.4 points, 11.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game in 2023-24 for the Bucks to finish fourth in MVP voting. The 29-year-old looked set to have another dominant postseason run but suffered a calf injury toward the end of the regular season and didn’t feature at all in the playoffs.
Without Antetokounmpo, the Bucks lost in six games to the Indiana Pacers in the first round. It was in some ways a repeat of the year before, as an Antetokounmpo injury had led to a loss to the Miami Heat in the first round in 2023. The Bucks would be hoping the injury bug stays away this time around.
If Antetokounmpo does stay healthy in 2025, I wouldn’t bet against him leading the team on a deep playoff run. I am not sure he has got a good enough team around him to win it all, though.
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