In a recent interview with Malika Andrews during the All-Star break, the ESPN broadcaster asked a panel of NBA stars who is currently the best player in the league. “If I had to choose, I would say Giannis,” Celtics star Jayson Tatum dared to say first.
As Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell concurred, Ja Morant and Luka Doncic who were also present did not utter their opinions. Maybe it’s because of some kind of personal friendship or even allegiance due to the fact the Bucks player chose them both on his All-Star team, we’ll let you decide.
The truth is, the Boston foward believes the Greek Freak has the stats to prove his case. “How he impacts both sides, scoring, rebounding, how hard he plays,” Tatum said about the two-time league MVP. “We all have off nights but I feel like when he has an off night it’s still 25 points and 15 rebounds instead of 40 and 20. And he’s won, he’s won a championship.”
Watch a segment of the ESPN interview on the tweet below:
Jayson Tatum and Donovan Mitchell pick Giannis Antetokounmpo as the best player in the NBA 👀
(via @malika_andrews) pic.twitter.com/urJA9QnsgE
— ESPN (@espn) February 23, 2023
After Jayson’s call, Malka Andrews said something very true. “Well, these two (referring to Doncic and Morant) are fine in the West”, the reporter said. “But you two have to go through Giannis in the East.”
Sitting second in their Conference, Antetokounmpo is in the middle of yet another MVP-contending campaign with the Bucks. Currently the Wisconsin team is behind Tatum’s Celtics, but only by half a match.
Right at the beginning of 2023, Giannis produced his best performance of the campaign in an overwhelming victory against the Washington Wizards. The power foward scored a career-high 55 points and added 10 rebounds and 7 assists to his name.
Watch his outstanding highlights on January 3rd in Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum:
The star is the third best scorer in the NBA, as he averages 31.8 points per contest, stat that goes along with his 12.2 rebounds and makes him the only player in the league to be a part of the Top 5 averages for both points and rebounds.
Who competes with Giannis at the top?
Even though Nuggets center Nikola Jokić is the leader in ESPN’s latest poll, as well as the current Kia MVP Ladder, the Bucks player was the only other player to second-run both races and receive double-digit votes for first place.
Although Cleveland’s Mitchell chose the Bucks foward as the league’s best, he admires them both. Not too long ago, he talked thoroughly about what a great impression The Joker has made on him this tournament.
“I can’t lie,” the Cavaliers star admitted. “I don’t know if you all have been watching what Jokic has been doing. It’s outrageous, to be honest. I don’t know how many people have won it three times in a row. I definitely feel like I’m in that conversation as well, but he’s otherworldly right now.”
Just as well, Tatum and Mitchell are both enjoying amazing championships in their own right. For example, following the Celtics’ great start of the season, Tatum sat atop the first straw poll earlier in the year. Behind Tatum’s 30.6 points per match, Boston still holds the lead in the Eastern Conference with the NBA’s best record 42-17.
