Home

NBA

Giannis Antetokounmpo Explains How Teams Building Walls for Him Helped Him to Trust His Teammates More

Published 07/14/2021, 4:27 AM EDT

Follow Us

USA Today via Reuters

Milwaukee Bucks will play in game 4 of the NBA finals tomorrow against the Phoenix Suns. While they are surely a great team, Giannis Antetokounmpo is the main reason for their success. The 2 time MVP has now put up back-to-back 40 point performances in the NBA finals.

Recently, after game 3, Chris Paul said that they need to form a wall in order to stop Giannis Antetokounmpo in these NBA finals. Now, before game  4, Giannis answered questions regarding him dealing with ‘the wall’.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Bucks vs Suns: Giannis Antetokounmpo Joins LeBron James and Michael Jordan in an Epic NBA Finals Record

Giannis Antetokounmpo on what he learned from ‘the wall’

When asked about ‘the wall’, Giannis spoke about how he has become better at reading the defense and trusting his teammates through time, seeing this kind of defense built just for him. He said:

“The first time I saw ‘the wall, was probably two years ago. But I was always a capable passer before that and it’s something that I always like to do. I had the coaches and people throughout my career that helped me with like finding the right guy, finding the right pass, making the right play.”

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest NBA stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

Giannis Antetokounmpo then spoke about how at first it was difficult to trust his teammates, and how he has developed his trust now.

Giannis said, “Once I started seeing the wall two years ago, now it’s about trust and it’s kinda hard. Because you wanna be effective, you wanna get downhill, you wanna do everything. You take it personal also like there is a team that is building a wall of 3 people and 2 guys behind them or whatever it might be to try and stop you. And now you have to not take it personal and make the right play, find the right guy. I feel like I did that better since two years ago and now I’m doing it better, I’m trusting my teammates, I’m finding guys.”

He further added that he thinks it is funny how there is a defense called the ‘Giannis wall’ to stop him.

Has ‘the wall’ benefitted Giannis?

Giannis Antetokounmpo mentioned that he saw the wall 2 years ago. Interestingly, that was the first time he won the MVP award. He won yet another MVP award the following year as well. While we know that Giannis is a dominant force offensively, it is his playmaking that developed through seeing these kinds of defenses.

USA Today via Reuters

The ‘Greek Freak’ is averaging almost 6 assists per game since seeing ‘the wall’. This is a great improvement compared to the 2017-18 season where he averaged 4.8 assists. It has helped him understand the game outside of scoring points. Now, with reliable pieces around him like Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton, he has learned how to trust his teammates to deliver when he can not.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

However, that has not affected his scoring ability at all. His offensive numbers have only kept increasing since winning the MVP and he is now the centerpiece of the Bucks organization. Currently, he is leading them in points for the playoffs with 29 per game, while averaging 5 assists a game as well.

He has improved year after year on all aspects of his game which is why he is such a force to reckon with. Heading into game 4 at the Fiserv Forum, Giannis Antetokounmpo & co will now try and level the series.

USA Today via Reuters

Do you think Milwaukee Bucks will win the NBA finals? Let us know in the comments below.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

WATCH THIS STORY- Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Historic 42-Point Performance, Devin Booker Raining Three’s & Other Milwaukee Bucks vs Phoenix Suns Game 2 NBA Finals Highlights

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Anuj Talwalkar

2,362Articles

One take at a time

Anuj Talwalkar is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He is a student studying at NM College in Mumbai, aspiring to pursue sports management to follow his love for sports. Anuj started following the NBA last year, and he loves to combine his passion for writing with his understanding of basketball.
Show More>