Players know by now that it's never good to give the opposition bulletin board material, but they do it constantly anyway. That's exactly what Houston Rockets All-Star Alperen Sengun, who was facing off against Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece during EuroBasket, did. When asked about Giannis, the big man delivered a high-praise comment followed by a slight.
"He's an amazing player, you know, but he's not a great passer."
Giannis now has more fuel for this coming season
Passing has been Giannis Antetokounmpo's most underrated attribute for a while. He even said that himself in an interview with The Athletic's Eric Nehm (subscription required), stating, "Let's start with this, [censored] did not know I could pass." It's a part of his game that has grown mightily over these last few years, and there's no stopping him anytime soon.
With Giannis' highlights primarily coming in the form of thrilling dunks or high-flying blocks, it's clear why the passing gets overlooked. However, this is a player who has averaged 6.5 assists per game in each of the past two seasons. Given everything else he does on the court, that is beyond impressive. And he's about to take it a step further.
Whether it's been Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday, or Damian Lillard, Giannis has always had another All-Star caliber ball-handler next to him. That certainly hasn't been a bad thing, but it has taken the ball out of his hands often, limiting his passing opportunities. This coming season, that won't be the case. There is no other primary ball-handler. Giannis will see more responsibility than ever before.
Players like Kevin Porter Jr. and Cole Anthony will certainly still get their opportunities to lead the offense at times, but they won't command the ball. The majority of the time he's on the court, the offense will be in Giannis' hands. Given how underrated a passer he is, that's not a bad thing for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Milwaukee's roster is built to thrive with Giannis as the floor general. He's surrounded by a cache of strong 3-point shooters who are always ready to fire at will. If they are open when defenses attack Giannis, the Greek Freak will find them on the perimeter. They've been doing this for years, but now, there's no other clear-cut secondary ball-handler.
Giannis will likely use this comment as fuel, particularly whenever the Milwaukee Bucks and Rockets meet up this coming season. One of the game's most underrated passers might not be so underrated a few months from now.
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