Giannis Antetokounmpo, Greece Prepare For Quarter-Finals

Since we last checked in with the Milwaukee Bucks young superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s play on the international stage, it’s fair to say that he has found his groove.

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In his last two games, Antetokounmpo has notched up back to back double-doubles and played an increasingly larger role in Greece’s progression to the Eurobasket’s elite eight, quarter-finals stage.

As you’d have expected, there are no more easy games when you reach that stage of the competition, but the undefeated Greeks may just have been landed with the biggest test of them all with their matchup due to take place on Tuesday.

If the USA represent the kings of the international basketball court, in recent times it has been the Spanish who have sat alongside them closest in line. Antetokounmpo’s Greece have been playing spectacularly for the better part of two months now between exhibition games and the tournament matchups up to this point, but Spain will represent a monumental challenge.

There may be some notable names missing from their roster for the tournament such as Marc Gasol, Ricky Rubio and Serge Ibaka, but that doesn’t mean that Spain are lacking talent in any way.

Pau Gasol is leading the charge for his country, sitting atop the scoring leaders for the entire competition with an average of 23 points per game, as well as ranking top five in rebounds at 7.8 too.

His supporting cast contains no slouches either. Nikola Mirotic, Rudy Fernandez, Sergio Rodriguez, Sergio Llull, Victor Claver and Guillermo Hernangomez are all players who will be familiar in one way or another to NBA fans over the years.

With Spain leading Eurobasket in points scored per game, it’s going to come down to a big defensive performance from Greece if they hope to keep their medal hopes alive. In that sense this represents an opportunity for Antetokounmpo to step up and really show what he can do, and how he can turn a game in his team’s favor.

As much as NBA fans can be understandably wary of international play due to the risk of injury to their franchise’s star players, this is the type of game that could be invaluable to players like Giannis in accelerating their learning, confidence and development.

The stakes don’t get much higher than having the hopes of your country resting on your shoulders in a win-or-go-home game, and if Antetokounmpo could come out on the other side of that off the back of another strong individual showing, his confidence may reach an all-time high.

He has already shown that he’s capable of it in this tournament too.

Against the Dutch, Giannis was both active and effective across the floor in a game where Greece technically had little to play for. It had no impact on their motivation or professionalism though. Greece kept momentum going in large part thanks to Antetokounmpo’s eleven points and eleven boards.

What should get Bucks fans most excited of all though is one shot in particular. The three-pointer Giannis made right at the end of the third quarter says a lot about him. Not only for holding his nerve and making an important play in a big game, but also for the way he reacted.

The way Giannis held his finish, held his stare, showed a confidence and a swagger that we haven’t necessarily always seen from the youngster. If maturity brings more of the “stink face” intensity that we caught a glimpse of last year, who could complain though?

A dominant display from Greece in their first knockout game against Belgium was punctuated with a couple of nice Giannis highlights also.

Antetokounmpo demonstrated his continued understanding with Nick Calathes by adding another perfectly timed alley-oop to the collection they’ve put together in this competition.

Now, the challenge is much more significant though. Following on from last year’s playoff battle, Giannis gets his chance to avenge the loss that Gasol and the Bulls inflicted on him and his Bucks.

Will he be up to the challenge? What can Bucks fans learn from the encounter? Tuesday’s game will reveal all.

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