“I know that I have more” – Giannis Antetokounmpo on taking his game to the next level.
Despite being one of the greatest players ever, Giannis still doesn’t think he’s at his best.
By MATTHEW DUGANDZIC
Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has done a lot in his 10 years in the NBA.
An NBA champion, a two-time MVP award winner, and a member of the NBA’s 75th-anniversary team, the Greek Freak has already established himself as one of the greatest players in league history. But Giannis is far from done and is determined to take his game to another level and become even better than he already is.
“Do I think I’m better this year? One hundred percent. Do I believe I’ve shown it? No,” Antetokounmpo said. “But it’s very scary to me because every day I go back home, I’m like, ‘Holy s—. I still, I know that I have more.’”
50-point game
Fresh off his second 50-point performance this season on Sunday against the Denver Nuggets, Giannis explained why he believes he can still improve as a player. Echoing what the Dallas Mavericks’ star Luka Doncic once said about scoring in the NBA being easier compared to Europe, Giannis believes he can bring his game to another level as he did during the EuroBasket 2022, where he led Greece to the quarterfinals.
“I went to Europe, and I was the top scorer. I finished the tournament averaging 29.8 in Europe; that’s like averaging 40 in the NBA,” Antetokounmpo said. “And in a game, I scored 31 points in 17 minutes, which I have never done in my career. So, do I think I’m better? I know I’m better. But I have to show it on the court. You let your game talk. We can talk this game as much as you want, but we play this game; we don’t talk this game.”
More levels to be unlocked
As polished as Giannis already is, he’s well aware of his limitations and knows there are more levels of his game to unlock. The obvious one is shooting, and even though Antetokounmpo has improved in that department, he’s far from done.
“So, even though I don’t show this year that I’m better, it’s nothing for me to be disappointed on because I’m 28 years old, man. Next year, I’m going to be 29. And next year, I might come back, and I might be way better, and I’m able to show it,” said Giannis.
“There is two more levels to be unlocked here. And I have to stay locked in to unlock those levels. I’m not unlocking them right now,” the Bucks superstar concluded.
Originally published at Sports Illustrated