Giannis Finally Said It

It takes more than skills to be great. That's what people don't understand. You can be the most skillful person on earth, still don't make the NBA. The NBA is not about skills. It takes way more to be. James Harden Gilberinas left a chat. I wish I could just run, run, and with seven feet and run and just dunk. That takes no skill at all. I gotta actually learn how to play basketball. This narrative that skill is the only factor in determining who's a better player is stupid. And at the same time is gaining traction? He doesn't understand basketball yet. Can I look at that and call him the best basketball player in the world? No. You know, in terms of offensive brilliance, you know, I don't see that mastery of the game in terms of his skill level. Like this mid-range assassin. Bruh. Nobody likes you, man. That was tough. The ball don't stop to the world still believe that having a deeper bag means you're the better player. And if you can hesitate between pull up, you're automatically elite. Oh, my bad Harden. Or if you do step backs. What defines a good basketball player is a combination of factors. Now, skill is a part of it, but there's also size, athleticism, mindset, and circumstance. Do not get me wrong. There are a bunch of guys who are big, but can't make or stay in the NBA because they don't have any sort of skill. My boy, Sun Yuei. I'm sorry, man. I'm gonna foul them points. Roy Hibbert became obsolete. Or even guys who can jump out the gym, but are still trash. NBA wise, like Flight. Wrong Flight. Yeah, this boy. Who? So, you're absolutely right about that. However, those other factors matter. I'm gonna play this clip from Jimmy Harrell. The average man has a vertical leap of about 17 inches. Duncan Robinson has a 33-inch max vert. And Stephen Curry, the poster child for what you can accomplish in sports without being an incredible athlete, has a 36-inch vertical leap. Even the most skilled players have a level of size and athleticism that is far superior to the normal individual. There are people who are far more skilled than a lot of NBA players, but could never last in the NBA. You talk about best basketball player in the world. I think of guys like Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan. I think of LeBron James. I think of guys like Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant. You know, guys that really, they almost had a flawless arsenal, right? Offensively. Even the players that Baldwin mentions as the best basketball players are all 6'6 and above with 38-plus inch verticals. Like, why not mention Kyrie? Come on, man. But even a player like Giannis has skill. Just perhaps not as much as other players. But his size, athleticism, mindset more than make up for it. Giannis is undoubtedly one of the strongest players in the NBA, but simultaneously, he's as quick as a guard. I mean, have you seen a 6'11 dude with as much strength as Giannis also be able to euro sharply? That skill coupled with athleticism, just like y'all can couple this content with the subscribe button. So that's some skill right there. Or even fade away like MJ? Okay, that was a little bit of exaggeration. But it's time to end this skill vs athleticism debate once and for all. What is up dudes, cadets, ballers, players. It's ya boi MJ. Let's run some numbers. As of 5 years ago, there are 18,933,750 guys under 5'11, but there were only 4 in the NBA. There were 249 guys taller than 6'10 and 47 in the NBA. There is a huge emphasis on size because of how the sport is structured. You're trying to put the ball in a hoop that is 10 feet tall. To dismiss this factor is to dismiss an important part of the sport. Athletes in general are meant to be specialized, elite physical specimen. You can be mad that you ain't 6'6, but that doesn't change the facts. Kobe has been called the most skilled player in the NBA. And I'm all for it. Kobe is my favorite player of all time. Kobe was capable of doing any move. He'd probably practice each move that he did in game at least 8,000 times. But let's not ignore that Kobe had a 6'11 wingspan. Let's not ignore that he also made his body stronger, but also grew to 6'6 which allowed him to have more of a post game vs being a 6'1 guard. And perhaps Giannis didn't say it enough. Obsession. How come when it comes to skill, we don't hear enough about Hakeem Olajuwon, who was scoring with amazing footwork in the post who could actually handle the ball a little bit on the perimeter. Rather, it's his obsession for the ability to handle, Look at Iggy saying Rashid Wallace would be better than Giannis, all because Rashid can shoo? However, for a bigger player who is capable of banging in the post, what skills are, should be considered differently. For example, this level of handle displayed by Giannis or even Hakeem is off the charts when compared to other big men. Even a guy like Carl Anthony Towns, who is one of the best big man 3pt shooters, doesn't handle the ball. If absolute skill was the only determining factor, then most guards would make the top 10 in the NBA currently. But it's Giannis, Jokic, Embiid, Curry, Luka, LeBron, KD, the list is mainly 6'8 and above. In fact, in these arguments, big guys that show guard like skills is what people are chasing. So doesn't that mean that you acknowledge that size is part of the equation? And that having certain skill sets at certain sizes is harder and more impressive? Isn't that why Kevin Durant gets the utmost praise for skilled hoopers because of his ability to do what he does at that size? Also, is passing not a skill? Giannis' passing is pretty good. 5-6 assists per game making passes like this while averaging 30, where's love? Making the NBA usually means you have some combination of skills, size, and athleticism that cross the barrier to entry. But we've seen players like JR Smith for example, has the athleticism, can make any shot, has a tween splash, but mentally isn't always engaged. And so instead of being an all-star, he peaked as a 6th man, then a role player, then out of league. Players can have good games, maybe even have one good season. But to be great, you need to be like that day in, day out. Consistency. Players are capable of outbursts, but only a few are capable of continuing the outburst every time they play. That's part of that mindset that Giannis was talking about. I'm pretty sure Giannis is sick and tired of all this, constantly being told that he has no skill year in, year out. And it can be damaging to the sport when you discount actual size and athleticism. However, skill matters a ton. When you're playing in your rec leagues and maybe aren't the fastest or tallest, you have to make up that skill to counter things that can't be topped. Curry is doing that all the time in the NBA, but he's also 6'3. But what do you think? Is Giannis right? The all-day notification round goes to Jagmaster. Thanks for the all-day support. And if you're still here, you're a real one, so comment obsession so I know. If you want to know why players don't like Giannis, it's right here somewhere. We're making a lot more content even on TikTok, so if you want more, subscribe. Appreciate it. It's ya boi MJ. We Out!