Reaction to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s interesting latest social media post

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s latest social media post should have Milwaukee Bucks fans reinvigorated. Giannis Antetokounmpo posted a picture of him on the bench, presumably about to be announced for the starting lineup, lit up in green light, on his social media accounts Tuesday. The picture alone is awesome, but it’s the caption that has Bucks fans buzzing. Giannis captioned the photo “I’m tired of the disrespect. I’m coming.”

Reaction to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s latest interesting social media post

This photo and seemingly angry caption, come on the heels of the announcement of the All-NBA Defensive teams. Shockingly, Giannis was not a part of the First or Second Team All-NBA Defense for the first time in five years. Antetokounmpo had been First Team All-NBA Defense every year since the 2018-19 season and won a Defensive Player of the Year award.

Not only was Giannis Antetokounmpo snubbed from an All-NBA Defensive team, but he also finished third in this year’s MVP voting despite being the best player on the best team and averaging numbers not seen since the 80s. Giannis is still very likely to be a unanimous First Team All-NBA recipient, making it his fifth straight unanimous selection, an NBA record. However, knowing Giannis as a man who takes pride in his defensive prowess, he likely took being left off the All-NBA Defense team personally. What does that mean for the league?

It means look out. Giannis Antetokounmpo is going to be a man on many missions in 2023-24. On the heels of being eliminated early from the playoffs, finishing third in MVP voting, his head coach being fired and now not making an All-NBA Defense team, Giannis Antetokounmpo has more than enough ammunition to motivate him this off-season. The Milwaukee Bucks’ early elimination from the playoffs also gives him extra time and a head-start to work on whatever he has in mind to bring to the table this coming October.

What could Giannis add to his game between now and the 2023-24 season? Obviously, it’s no secret he’ll aim to improve his free throw shooting, but where might Giannis look to get more effective? Mid-range? The 3-point line? What about the prospect of Giannis Antetokounmpo spending time in the film room studying ways to avoid the slide under the charge that gets called so frequently in today’s NBA and gets Giannis in foul trouble? Could we as Milwaukee Bucks fans imagine Giannis with a more effective spin move, a longer stride Eurostep, an intelligent pull-back dribble followed by a mid-range jumper, or such lethal court vision that he flirts with averaging a triple-double next year?

Imagining any of these possibilities is exciting for a player who is already among the best in the NBA. Not only that but given that today’s social media post came just hours after the announcement of the All-NBA Defense teams, Giannis is likely to spend time focusing on that side of the court as well.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is usually a very soft-spoken man who is careful with his words and very mindful of his reality. It’s also clear that Giannis cares a great deal about his mental health, as evidenced by his revealing that he almost left the NBA in 2020. However, seeing Giannis Antetokounmpo on a villain arc, angered by being disrespected, is a scary prospect for the rest of the NBA. The thought alone of what Giannis Antetokounmpo could accomplish over the next five-plus months is enough to get Bucks fans excited and make us glad that he’s on our side.

All in all, I get shades of when Giannis Antetokounmpo went from a scrawny, lanky, and athletic wing to seeing the picture of him in the weight room in the white tank top looking absolutely shredded with muscle.

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