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Speaking of his interactions with Antetokounmpo — including his visit to Greece for a basketball and bonding session — Mitchell said: “You can see why he became MVP. The mentality is so different. All he wants to do is win. Even going to dinner with him and having a conversation with him, it’s winning about everything, not just basketball — life in general. Everything he’s trying to be the best he can be at. When you have someone on your team it’s hard to even lose. When you have so many people with a mentality like that, it’s going to be fun.”
Mitchell also spoke of the tantalizing defensive possibilities with a roster featuring Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins and himself. “People knew where to put Bam because they know how good he is defensively,” Mitchell said. “But now they have [to deal with] Giannis too? Where are they going to put him? I can pick somebody out of bounds, and if they blow by me, I know someone will have my back. “They want to win Defensive Player of the Year too just as much as we do. We have this competitive spirit, where, ‘I’m trying to win Defensive Player of the Year’ and ‘I’m trying to win Defensive Player of the Year.’ “We have three, really four [great defenders], with Wiggs. There are some matchups he guards the best player. Sometimes I do. I’ve got shifty, quicker guys. He’s got guys who are much taller, get to their spots. The defense is going to be amazing. I can’t wait.”
Heat Central: Draymond Green DEFENDS Giannis after Channing Frye called him a 7’0 running back who isn’t as skilled: “I think this is a dumb statement. To call one of the greatest in the game Giannis, a 7FT running back is PATHETIC. It takes a lot of skill to dribble end to end and dunk the ball. Takes lot of skill to get in the paint and get finished and kick outs. I’ve seen him take people to the post and put in the rim. — To act as ‘he’s a RB’ cause he don’t have the same skillset as Joel Embiid, ok cool. Then Shaq was also a RB. Kevin Garnett did not have the skillset as Joel Embiid… That’s wack. Calling somebody that great a 7FT RB, that’s clickbait.”
Heat Central: Donovan Mitchell believes this Heat team adding Giannis and Klay Thompson will be a dangerous team: “All he (Klay) gotta do is stand right there because Giannis has so much gravity. If you help on Giannis, who you gonna help off of? That’s what makes them dangerous. They also got Davion, Wiggins, Bam, Larsson. And they got Spo. He’s a great coach. — Klay is a top 5 shooter ever!”
Heat Central: Norman Powell believes the Heat got WAY BETTER with the Giannis trade: “Anytime you get a generational talent like that it automatically puts you into contention. He’s a generational player… They got some dawgs. Shoutout my man D Mitch. Off night and Bam. They gonna be good. I’m excited to see how it all comes together. They signed Klay. That’s a good pickup for them. They made some good moves”
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![“It happens every year in the NBA. The [Oklahoma City] …](https://sportsdata.usatoday.com/gcdn/content-pipeline-sports-images/sports2/nba/players/1232325.png?format=png8&auto=webp&quality=85,75&width=140)
The Sixers weren’t the only Eastern team to make big moves. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Klay Thompson joined Bam Adeabayo and Andrew Wiggins in Miami, and the Toronto Raptors traded for Kawhi Leonard, backed out of the trade in the wake of his salary-cap circumvention scandal, yet are still in play to trade for him again. “It happens every year in the NBA. The [Oklahoma City] Thunder won the year before, and everybody loaded up to try to beat the Thunder,” said Kolek. “We win, it happens every single year. It’s a copycat league. Teams are trying to beat the best and compete with the best, so they do what they can.”
Heat Central: Channing Frye says Giannis is a 7’0 running back and isn’t as skilled as Joel Embiid: “Giannis is a 7’0 running back. He’s just coming at you. If his ankle, knee, hip, shoulder, are injured, he can’t play his style. He does not have the skillset. Meaning shooting, middys, post ups, 3s, to balance that out like Joel Embiid does. Joel when he’s injured, he can just shoot fadeaway and still get 30 PPG. Giannis doesn’t have that skillset because of his physicality.” I need this season to hurry up and start. (Via @RoadTrippinShow)
When Boston lost the race for Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat, the dynamics changed for Philadelphia, according to league sources. Brown’s name had surfaced publicly in those trade talks, and there was a point of no return. The Celtics almost had to trade Jaylen Brown. Even then, Philadelphia viewed itself as a long shot, according to league sources. Conventional wisdom suggested Boston would rather trade him to a Western Conference team than trade an All-NBA-caliber player to a division rival.
Simply put, coming off an injury, Portland expectedly didn’t give him their blessing to play, a similar situation to that of Giannis and the Greek national team, with the Greek Freak also finishing the season injured and missing the qualifiers. As Deni Avdija wrote: “I usually don’t feel the need to explain myself, but this time it’s important to me to say a few words. Anyone who knows me and my way with the Israeli national team knows what this shirt means to me. I came to the team when I was in pain. I came when I wasn’t at 100%. I came during summers when maybe the ‘right’ thing for my personal career was to rest. I came even when I was facing a contract year, a time when any injury could change a career. I never looked for an excuse not to show up. On the contrary. As long as I could wear Israel’s shirt and step onto the court, I was there. This time, I wanted to be there just as much. But this summer I dealt with a complex back injury. An injury that those who haven’t gone through it really can’t understand what it demands, and the decision not to participate in this window wasn’t one I made alone. Portland wasn’t willing to take a risk with my health, and in the situation that arose, I simply didn’t have the option to step up and play.
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Giannis Antetokounmpo and his family attended the preparation game between Olympiacos and Promitheas, which was held behind closed doors in the refurbished practice facility of the EuroLeague champions. Giannis’ presence is easily explained by the fact that his youngest brother, Alex Antetokounmpo, has signed with Promitheas Patras.
“Yeah, I think I love coaching. I love to watch players get better. I want to win. I want to help the team win,” Kidd said. “And so I would never say no to coaching. Maybe somewhere down the future, but also right now I’m just at home really trying to enjoy my family. And then also just watching the game and seeing if I can help others still from the coaching side. I’m always talking to Jalen Brunson and to Giannis. So just trying to help others now that I’m not coaching.”
According to Heat.com’s Couper Moorhead, the average three-point opportunity created by Giannis Antetokounmpo through the years carries significantly higher expected value — five points better in terms of expected field-goal percentage – than what Klay Thompson experienced last year. How much of a positive impact does Antetokounmpo have on his team’s offense? During the past six seasons, the Bucks have posted an offensive rating of 116 or more points scored per 100 possessions in five of those seasons with Antetokounmpo on the court. The Heat has not scored 116 or more points per 100 possessions in any of the past six seasons.
