On Wednesday, Colin Cowherd became the official leader of the Giannis Antetokounmpo hype train.
As a 6x All-Star, 2x MVP, and 1x NBA Champion, Giannis has certainly proved himself as a basketball elite and has a strong case today for being the NBA’s best player.
But in a segment on ‘The Herd,’ sports analyst Colin Cowherd took the Antetokounmpo praise to a whole new level when he picked him (the current version of him) over prime Steph Curry.
“Tough but I would take Giannis, I’m gonna roll the dice on Giannis. First of all, I told you that I think the Bucks are gonna have a dynasty. So Steph is seen as a transformational as a three-point shooter but he’s always been a defensive liability and increasingly in the last four years, injuries are a part of it. Now, Steph’s ceiling and the ability to shoot will extend his career. I’m not saying it’s not close, but you have to hide Steph on the defensive end. And I know defense is only about 30% of the NBA but Giannis is so dominating as a facilitator, defender, scorer… he literally stopped Boston’s entire offense.”
As controversial as that pick was, he didn’t stop there. He also chose the Greek Freak over Kevin Durant.
“First of all, [Giannis] is gonna age better and have a longer prime. Now, KD is a great offensive player but he’s been knicked up now for about four years. Also, he’s a wanderer. You never know can you really build around KD? I know I can build around Giannis for the next 10 years in Milwaukee, and that has huge value to me.”
Next, Cowherd explained why he’d pick Giannis even over Spurs legend, Tim Duncan.
“Duncan only averaged over 25 once. Duncan was the great fundamental but he’s not gonna give you 40 and 50-point games. He had one season averaging over 25. Giannis has averaged over that for five straight years.”
Finally, Cowherd turned back the clock to compare Giannis and Kobe.
“Giannis is efficient. Also, Kobe was a very good defender for about 5 years, but early on in his career and late he wasn’t. This is hard. I don’t like flash or glamor, I like the mid-range.”
To Cowherd’s credit, Giannis has been on an otherworldly tear of late. After capturing the title last year, the guy went on to average a career-high 29.9 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game on 55% shooting. At the same time, he’s also been one of the NBA’s best defenders.
In these playoffs, he’s got Milwaukee in a 1-1 tie with Boston despite the absence of Khris Middleton, and he could end up taking them further if he continues at his current pace.
Already, at just 27-years-old, Giannis Antetokounmpo is dominating the league. But would you really take him over guys like Curry, Durant, Kobe, and Tim Duncan?
We’ll leave that for you to decide.
