Giannis Antetokounmpo: FMVP ranked in HoopsHype’s top 75 players list

You’re lying if you said you knew Giannis Antetokounmpo would be this good when the Milwaukee Bucks drafted him 15th overall in 2013. He has ascended to become one of the best players, if not the best player, in all of basketball and is still only 26 years old. He has accomplished almost everything you could dream of accomplishing and he isn’t even close to his 30th birthday yet.

It should come as no surprise then that Antetokounmpo easily made the list of the 75 greatest players of all time published by HoopsHype. Antetokounmpo is ranked as the 24th greatest player ever and is the youngest player in the top 30 by a considerable amount.

Antetokounmpo falls behind Julius Erving (20), Elgin Baylor (21), Dwyane Wade (22), and David Robinson (23) for being in the top 20 all-time, but is ahead of names such as Charles Barkley (25), Scottie Pippen (27), and Allen Iverson (30).

This list comes as the NBA is celebrating its 75th season this year and will be releasing its own 75 greatest player list at some point this year. The league released its 50 greatest players back in October of 1996 for its 50th anniversary and Bucks fans should expect to see the Greek Freak solidly among the best of all time.

Reactions to the Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo being ranked as the 24th greatest player of all-time

It’s absurd to think that there’s still a lot of time left in Antetokounmpo’s career and he should absolutely finish within the top 15 when all is said and done. Looking at what he’s done so far, Antetokounmpo has already won two MVP awards, a Defensive Player of the Year, five All-Star appearances, three first-team All-NBA selections, three All-Defensive first-team selections, and of course an NBA championship with a Finals MVP.

He already has a Hall of Fame resume and it can only get better from here as the Bucks remain championship contenders, led by Antetokounmpo. As the list notes, Antetokounmpo is currently ranked 248th in scoring, 227th in rebounds, and 156th in blocks on the all-time leaderboards. Those ranks will jump quickly this season, as Antetokounmpo could see himself within the top 150 in scoring if he plays enough games this season.

Let’s say that Antetokounmpo posts 10,000 points over the next five seasons (he posted just over 9.400 in his previous five seasons), that would put him just outside the top 30 on the all-time scoring leaderboard with over 22,000 points. If he adds another 4,000 rebounds in the next five seasons, he would be right around the top 50, and if he adds another 500 blocks, he’ll be near the top 60. He would only be 31 years old!

Antetokounmpo doesn’t even need to add more big accolades like MVPs and Defensive Player of the Year awards to move up on the greatest player rankings. Although he likely will add more of those awards in the next five seasons, his longevity and ranks on the all-time leaderboards would be enough to move him higher.

It would be a shock if by the time we reach the 100th anniversary of the NBA, that Antetokounmpo isn’t in the conversation for being one of the 10 greatest players. That is the trajectory Antetokounmpo’s career is on right now and it feels like we’re only now beginning to see a glimpse of what peak Giannis is like.

This past season he began to set more screens, develop as a roll man, and learn that he doesn’t need to take 3s to be successful, but that he’s so dominant in the paint and no one can stop him. He’s also continuing to get better as a passer and playmaker while he remains one of the league’s best defenders (some GMs would even say he’s the best defender).

The only thing that can slow down Antetokounmpo’s run to being one of the greats is himself and whether he can remain healthy. But as we’ve seen to this point, Antetokounmpo keeps himself in such incredible shape and the Bucks know the exact right practice for taking care of their superstar’s body and managing his workload throughout a given season that there isn’t much worry to that end either.

Outside of Antetokounmpo, three other notable former Bucks made the greatest 75 players list. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ranks highest among them at third, then Oscar Robertson at 12th, and finally Ray Allen at 56th. Former Buck Bob Lanier was among the other players receiving votes. If you want to consider them notable former Bucks, Gary Payton is ranked 41st and Pau Gasol is ranked 57th.

Keep an eye out for where Antetokounmpo appears in the NBA’s official greatest 75 players list, but he should be firmly among the best to ever do it.