Charles Oakley Believes Giannis Antetokounmpo “Wouldn’t Have Been a Force” in His Era

Giannis Antetokounmpo has been a hot topic among some of the legends recently. The Greek Freak is going on about dominating in the NBA. However, some players feel he wouldn’t have done well in the old era of the game. Notably, Tracy McGrady received a lot of slander for his take on Giannis, saying he won’t have been dominant. However, now a Knicks legend seems to be on the same page as T-Mac.

Read More: Tracy McGrady Claims Giannis Antetokounmpo Would Have Struggled In His Era

Unlike most NBA players, Giannis does not fit into the shooting type player category. In fact, he is yet to develop a consistent jump shot in his game. However, what he has on his side is brute strength. And The Greek Freak knows exactly how to put that to effect in the game. His resume at 27 is one that can rival even a legend of the game. And with many more years left in his career, there is no ceiling that Giannis can’t break through.

But with the conversation of him playing in the older era, Knicks legend Charles Oakley feels Antetokounmpo wouldn’t even make the starting five.

Giannis Antetokounmpo won’t be a starter?

After Tracy spoke about Giannis not panning out well in the old era, Oakley added on along the same lines. He said because the Greek Freak doesn’t have a jump shot, the defenders in his era would force him into shooting. Moreover, Oakley feels like Giannis won’t be able to get to the basket as he does today without getting a hit in return.

He said: “He wouldn’t have been a force back in the day. He would’ve struggled because they would make him do jump shots. He wasn’t going to be doing euro to the basket like he doing euro step to the basket to get a layup. Somebody going to knock his head off. He’d be coming off the bench back in the day.”

Back in the day, the Jordan era was a lot more physical than what the game is today. Defenders had a lot more freedom and the balance of the game was well rounded. Since then, the game of basketball has gone through serious changes and it is now a more offense-focused game. But with Giannis, he comes in built with an old-school mentality.

To say Antetokounmpo won’t be starting sounds highly unlikely. The 2 time MVP’s game is more dependent on the physical side rather than techniques. He showed the league no matter what defense they use, Giannis will find a way to hurt them. So what would the reigning finals MVP do in Oakley’s era?

Greek Freak would still dominate

At only the age of 27, Giannis Antetokounmpo has won all the major awards there are to offer. Over the past few seasons, he has been one of the best offensive as well as defensive players in this league. While his shooting sure is a weakness, his will to improve makes him a danger. This season, the Freek has significantly improved his jump shot and is making shots regularly.

As for the contact, when it comes to the paint, no amount of contact has stopped Giannis so far. Despite getting in some bad hits, he has still managed to dominate most defenders, making 77% of his buckets in the restricted area. Another underrated factor comes with his passing ability. If the teams try to use a wall against him, Giannis is an underrated passer averaging almost 6 assists per game.

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Moreover, his defensive impact often goes under the covers due to his dominance on offense. While putting up 29.4 points per game, Giannis is also one of the leading shot blockers averaging 1.4 per game. Hence, there is almost no doubt the Greek Freak would dominate no matter what era of basketball he played in.