Less than two months are left until the 2024-25 NBA season commences, which means analysts and former players have begun sharing their thoughts on the best players for the upcoming season.
Speaking of which, one would assume that Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo will make these rankings and be at the top of most of them.
After all, the Greek Freak is at the prime of his career, and he led the Bucks to an NBA Championship in 2021. Well, dispute Antetokounmpo's previous achievements, former Boston Celtics star Kevin Garnett thinks the 2x NBA MVP is no longer the best player in the Eastern Conference.
Garnett drops a bold Giannis take
The Big Ticket and Paul Pierce recently discussed the best players in the Eastern Conference for the 2024-25 season. Pierce believes Giannis still holds the conference title as the most dominant player. However, KG disagreed with his 2008 NBA championship-winning teammate.
In fact, Garnett went as far as saying that the 2021 NBA champion is probably the fourth-best player in the East on the recent episode of Ticket & The Truth podcast via YouTube.
"You can't say that with [Joel] Embiid over there," KG said . "And with Jayson Tatum over there. I'm not arguing that. He's probably like the fourth-best player in the East."
Garnett denied taking Giannis over defending champion Jayson Tatum and Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid. However, the Big Ticket never mentioned the name of the third player. It could be Jaylen Brown since he won the 2024 NBA Finals MVP.
To put things into perspective, Antetokounmpo averaged 30.4 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game. On the other hand, Tatum put up 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game for the Celtics. While Embiid did register 34.7 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game, he featured in just 39 matchups.
The Bucks had back-to-back disappointing postseason runs
After winning the title in 2021, the Bucks have failed to recreate the same magic in the East. They were eliminated in the 2022 Eastern Conference Semifinals. Following that, the Bucks have failed to make it out of the first round in the last two playoffs.
To be honest, injuries have taken a toll on the Greek Freak in the past two years. He played just three games in the 2023 playoffs and missed the entire 2024 postseason.
Either way, as great as Giannis' journey has been in the NBA , it's time for the Greece international to prove his doubters wrong. It's not like the 29-year-old doesn't have a good supporting cast. The likes of Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton are undoubtedly excellent players. So, the Boston Celtics may be the defending champions of the NBA right now, but the Bucks could claim their throne back in the summer of 2025.
Related: "Never in a million years could I imagine him being an MVP NBA champion" - Ainge on Giannis' journey
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