Heading into the season, there are many questions about the Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo’s long-term preferences. Many view the Bucks roster outside of Giannis as being very weak and have written them off as a contender. But the truth remains that Giannis is still undoubtedly the best player in the Eastern Conference and one of the very best in the entire NBA. And his media day comments seemed to indicate that he’s fired up.
Giannis told reporters at media day, “My confidence is at an all-time high right now. I feel really good about myself. I feel really good about the team. And I’m excited to be there”. Ahead of a potentially grueling individual season for Giannis, it’s great to see that his morale is very high.
Giannis think he’s at his best right now
While the media and other teams may have written off the Bucks, Giannis is so dominant that he can single-handedly change the team’s standing. He’s been an unstoppable scoring machine for many seasons, but now he’ll also have the opportunity and need to do it all for the Bucks. This involves being more of a playmaker and getting back to the defense that won him a Defensive Player of the Year award in 2020.
The roster around Giannis has changed entirely, even from last season, but he can lift it to great heights. Although the team is not overflowing with the familiar faces of past Bucks championship-contending rosters, there are lots of hungry youngsters looking to take big jumps. With a fired-up Giannis, they should have the opportunity and intensity to play winning basketball.
The East is still wide open this season. Although the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks have quietly been penciled in as the conference favorites, they are far from a sure thing. Neither team is a juggernaut in the playoffs, and Giannis individually is better than any of their players. As a generational talent, Giannis can personally take on the challenge of leading his team past supposedly stronger rosters.
With the right approach and intensity, Giannis can combine his recent offensive brilliance with his strong defensive peaks. There should be a terrifying proposition for opposing teams, and it could lead to one of the best individual seasons in NBA history. Giannis has gotten overlooked in recent seasons as the Bucks have disappointed, but he is absolutely still a top player in the league, and he’ll be looking to remind everyone of that all season.