A four-year-old video of former US President Barack Obama discussing Giannis Antetokounmpo appears to have made a comeback online. During an interview with The Bill Simmons Podcast, Obama was asked to select between players like as Giannis, Luka Doncic, and Zion Williamson. Obama emphasizes in the video—which was just released by the RingerNBA—how unstoppable The Greek Freak would be if he improved his mid-range game.
The initial query posed by Simmons was who of the three players to base a championship team on. The former president of the United States said this.
“I wanna see if Giannis gets a mid-range this year…Everyone’s worried about Giannis getting a three-point shot. Giannis needs a 12-footer or a 15-footer. That’s what matters. Right? If he does, then I think he’s unstoppable.”
Obama continued by drawing parallels between Karl Malone, the jazz great, and Kawhi Leonard.
“If he has the same shot as a Karl Malone or even Kawhi, right? Where in crunch time, he can just pull up. Who’s gonna block that shot?”
Giannis Antetokounmpo and his style of play
Despite how good he is, Antetokounmpo has certain weaknesses in his style of play. He usually gets left alone by opponents when he is behind the arc. Giannis is frequently not treated with the same respect by teammates when he is shooting from the field. Undoubtedly, the previous president had a point.
The intriguing aspect of Obama’s counsel at this point was when it was given. The conversation took place in December of 2020. In the same season, Giannis went on to win his first championship. Giannis has shot well over 50% from the field in his first two years in the league.
But the majority of those shots are layups or him stomping all over the basket. Giannis has made a minor progress in his mid-range game since then. Regretfully, he still needs to rely on intimidating players to finish near the rim. According to StatMuse, the Greek Freak’s three-point shooting has even slightly decreased since the team’s championship season.
Because of Antetokounmpo’s injury this past offseason, the Bucks once again found it difficult to win games. Damian Lillard, an All-Star guard for Milwaukee, was Giannis’ backup, but even with him, the Bucks were unable to go past the first round.
There might be shooters on the Bucks’ roster. Giannis should still focus on improving his mid- and long-range skills, though.
