Former NBA Champion Wants Giannis Antetokounmpo to Realize His Worth as Defensive Juggernaut

The Miami Heat registered a huge win over the Bucks in Game 1 of their conference semi-finals. The Heat successfully restricted Giannis Antetokounmpo from posting huge numbers on the night. Moreover, Jimmy Butler put on a second-half masterclass to propel his team to victory. But why wasn’t Giannis guarding Jimmy in the final minutes of the game? 

Jimmy Buckets unleashed himself in the final quarter to guide the Heat to a massive victory in Game 1. He was left unguarded by Antetokounmpo, and the duty was transferred to someone else. This gave Jimmy the leverage to expose his clutch shooting ability.

Following the loss, Giannis faced the heat of the reporters in the post-game presser. A media person asked him if he wanted to take the duty of guarding Butler in the final moments. ‘The Greek Freak’ responded with a no and delivered a surprising response. 

“To guard him? No, I didn’t. Why would you ask that? I’ll do whatever coach wants me to do.” This response from Giannis certainly did not sit well with a lot of people, who wanted the two best players on the court to guard each other in the final minutes. 

NBA champion calls out Giannis Antetokounmpo for his lack of proper response 

Giannis just won the 2020 Defensive Player of the Year Award. This means that he has a large caliber to make defensive players at the right moment. The 25-year-old did make eye-catching plays, just like the one below, where he denied Jimmy Butler at the rim.

However, Giannis guarding Butler was a very rare sight in the game. The reigning MVP took control of containing Bam Adebayo who caused major troubles for the Bucks. But NBA veteran Richard Jefferson feels that Antetokounmpo should have kept Butler quiet in the second half, where he caused the most damage. 

Moreover, Jefferson also did not like the fact that Giannis did not welcome the valid question posed by the reporter. “He asked that cuz you are the Defensive player of the year and Jimmy just had a career high 40. My question is why did YOU ask him why did he ask that question,” Jefferson wrote on Twitter.

The Miami Heat’s defense posed all kinds of problems for the Bucks. Bam Adebayo was superb in containing Giannis, who just went for 18.0 points on the night. His free-throw shooting derailed his confidence, which in turn, hurt the entire team. Giannis will certainly look to make a statement in Game 2 because that’s what great players do.