Giannis Antetokounmpo is an absolutely force. He might be the most physical player in the NBA.
He showed that off on Wednesday against the Phoenix Suns. He was dominant, scoring 47 points while grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing off five assists. He had a fantastic game.
But it wasn’t enough to stave off a Suns comeback. They were down by as many as 16 points but clawed their way back into the game. But, with the final possession, the Bucks did have a chance to win.
And so it went. They inbounded the ball to Antetokounmpo some 30 feet away from the basket, begins to drive and then pulls up for a last-second jumper.
It misses. Suns win.
Giannis drops 47 PTS vs. Suns but falls short on the final shot. pic.twitter.com/VuCLohRxDo
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 11, 2021
That’s exactly what the Suns wanted — at least, according to Devin Booker it was. He was asked about the final possession of the game with Antetokounmpo pulling up for a potential game-winner.
His response was, basically, the Suns will take it.
Devin Booker's thoughts when he saw Giannis Antetokounmpo pulling up from the midrange area for the potential game-winner: "We're in good shape."
— Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) February 11, 2021
That’s not disrespect from Booker. That’s honesty. They’d rather Giannis take jump shots than be in the paint.
The full question and answer from Book with the followup question and answer for the ~context~ pic.twitter.com/8gSUAAzOef
— Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) February 11, 2021
And that’s a fair point! That’s exactly what anyone playing against Antetokounmpo wants. Keeping him out of the paint is a win. Until he figures that jumper out, teams want him shooting that shot. If he finally starts to hit them? Then that’ll change.
Until then, though, he probably shouldn’t be lining up 30 feet away from the basket on closing possessions
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