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Scottie Pippen Explains Why Giannis Antetokounmpo Is Not A Championship Player Just Yet
Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen brought out some strong opinions when talking about Giannis Antetokounmpo’s capability to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to an NBA championship.
During an episode on ‘Da Windy City’ podcast, Pippen made it known that he isn’t sold on the Bucks superstar’s ability to play on the biggest stage of the playoffs, questioning Antetokounmpo’s confidence to take big shots when it matters most.
“I don’t think he is really there yet. You’re talking about winning a title. You’re talking about playing in the NBA finals. You’re talking about making big shots. Being able to take those shots with great confidence. I just don’t see him being ready right now for that.”
Although Pippen shows no faith on ‘The Greek Freak’ as a championship-caliber player, mainly because of his lack of outside shooting, Pippen gave credit to Antetokounmpo for being one of the best players in the game right now, and praised his constant approach to get to that level.
“I know that he has made some great strides. He is still one of the top players in the game. But in terms of his outside play, he is not really that carries the team to a title.”
The Bucks will eventually find themselves being heavy reliant on Antetokounmpo’s ability to break defenses and create opportunities for himself and for the rest his teammates, especially on high-leverage games and later rounds of the playoffs.
At some point, Antetokounmpo will have to take shots he isn’t comfortable of taking. Pippen believes Antetokounmpo will see himself in the same unwanted situation again as last year’s Eastern Conference Finals against the Toronto Raptors.
“They [Toronto Raptors] really exposed Giannis to his weakness. And that’s what teams do when they get you in a series, they’re gonna expose you. And they’re gonna do that again to him this year.”
The Milwaukee Bucks can only go as far as their leader Giannis Antetokounmpo takes them. Being the clear cut first option of the team, Antetokounmpo has been nothing short of remarkable in this year’s regular season. The playoffs, however, could be a different story.
