The NBA MVP race is only heating up as the regular season approaches its end. The big man trio of Joel Embiid, Jokic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo are leading the race so far. The Greek Freak has improved big time this season as he keeps making up for his weaknesses.
He has caught the attention of many fans with his dominating display. However, his biggest fan may be Shaquille O’Neal, who was left in shock over Giannis’ improvement.
Antetokounmpo was not always a top star in the league. Over the years, the Greek Freak has taken the time to work on his game and improve in all areas. With each passing season, Giannis has added a new weapon to his armory.
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Notably, Antetokounmpo’s shooting this season has been phenomenal. He has increased his free throw shooting to 72% as compared to last year when the Bucks forward shot just 68% from the spot.
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These quick improvements have left Shaquille O’Neal in a bizarre state as he spoke about Giannis.
Giannis Amtetokounmpo has Shaquille O’Neal in awe
While on NBA on TNT, O’Neal spoke about his increase in confidence after getting the first title. Shaq also related it to Giannis and said his game has improved a lot from last season’s final. Notably, Shaq said Giannis just keeps coming and now he has no complaints about his jump shot.
The Big Diesel said, “You have to fail before you succeed. And we all saw him fail, we all saw ‘Don’t do this, don’t do that. Oh, Giannis, he’s dribbling too much and going through the wall’. He just kept coming.”
“His game from last year’s championship to now like I’m like wow and you’ll know it takes a lot for me to go wow. But man, this kid can do it all. His jumper now, I can’t say nothing about his jumper at all,” Shaq added.
"This kid can do it all."@SHAQ talks about @Giannis_An34's improvement since winning the title last season, pic.twitter.com/TKhqgN8uEZ
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 7, 2022
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Antetokounmpo has definitely leveled his game up a lot since last season. While the numbers don’t do him justice, the Greek Freak has come a long way. He knows how to create space for his players and uses the attention he draws to find the right guy. In addition, his jump shot looks a lot more smooth than last season where he struggled at times.
Antetokounmpo is one of the leading scorers averaging almost 30 points per game and is making a solid case for himself to win the MVP award for the third time.
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At just 27, the Greek Freak has a championship, DPOY, two MVPs, and a MIP under his belt. His improvement rate has been staggering, and it isn’t surprising to see Shaquille O’Neal in awe of Giannis. If he continues this momentum, do you think Giannis Antetokounmpo will become one of the best players in NBA history? Let us know in the comments below.
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