Bucks Zone

"He's just so tough to guard. It took all five of us to guard him!” -  Blazers star explains how hard it is to stop Giannis Antetokounmpo

Anfernee Simmons shared high praise for the Bucks superstar.

Matthew Dugandzic

© Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

Over its entire history, the NBA has never seen a player like Giannis Antetokounmpo. The man from Greece is over seven feet tall, built like a tank, with the ability to move like a guard. He is a freak of nature with unreal athleticism. And when he is hitting his jump shots like last night versus Portland, it's basically unfair.

How do you guard a player like that? The Blazers were the latest victims of a monster Giannis performance and their star Anfernee Simons explained the challenge of guarding the 'Greek Freak'.

Giannis Antetokounmpo requires the attention of all five players

Giannis had a huge game as he finished with 37 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists. He had been poor in the last few games, as he was looking to get back on track after returning from injury. And Antetokounmmpo found the Blazers as the perfect opponent, dropping the hammer on them.

He was at his best, constantly in the paint and attacking the rim. He had some great dunks, as the Blazers found it tough to contain him. And when they decided to pack the paint, Giannis hit multiple midrange shots.

Blazers star Anfrenee Simons talked about the challenge of trying to guard and stop someone like Giannis:

"Obviously, playing Giannis, it's always going to be a tough night. He's just so tough to guard. It took all five of us to guard him." Simons explained.

The evolution of Giannis

Giannis showed a lot of promise in his first few years, but no one had thought he would become such a great player. At first, he was a big man who got to the rim often with his freakish size. Then the Milwaukee Bucks decided to expand Giannis' role and give him the ball more often, as he showed he can create plays for himself and his teammates.

But when Mike Budenholzer was appointed head coach, Giannis's game went to the next level. The Bucks loaded their team up with shooters and spread the floor as much as possible for Giannis. This led to back-to-back MVPs for Giannis, who has been making his case as the best player in the league for years now.

After that, Milwaukee tweaked its system a bit with the arrival of Jrue Holiday. Giannis started to play more off-ball, and the results were tremendous. The Bucks won their first title in 50 years, and Giannis won his first NBA Finals MVP. Now he has developed a decent jump shot, and if he continues to improve his percentages, he will become impossible to guard. 

Published
Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.