One of the most wide-ranging debates that basketball fans can have is about who is the best player in the NBA right now. Finding a consensus would likely be impossible as people have differing opinions about what they are looking for.
The same thing can be said when it comes to people who do this for a living. Over at ESPN, they did an offseason survey with a panel that consisted of 15 coaches, scouts and executives. Just as the case would be with fans, they didn’t all have the same answer, but one player rose above the rest.
Receiving 11 out of the 15 votes was Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks. Finishing in second was Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors. The only other player to receive a vote was LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, who is aging like fine wine but in a fierce battle with Father Time.
This is the second consecutive year that Antetokounmpo was the No. 1 choice for this question. Last year he was joined at the top by Kevin Durant, as the two shared the same number of votes. This time around, it was the Greek Freak winning in a landslide.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Giannis Antetokounmpo & Milwaukee Bucks
One of the scouts that voted for Antetokounmpo as the best player in the league revealed their reason for voting that way.
“He’s healthy, you can put the ball in his hands or play off the ball as a screen-and-roll guy, and his defensive effectiveness,” a Western Conference scout said of Antetokounmpo’s impact. “I think Durant is the most talented guy because of his shooting and scoring ability, [but] Giannis’ will, the human, the winner, the mentality, the everyday effort, raising the effort of guys around him … it’s hard to top that.”
It is certainly hard to argue against that reasoning. Winning is the same reason that some people voted for Curry, as he just led the Warriors to their fourth title in eight years, winning the Bill Russell award as the NBA Finals MVP.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Giannis Antetokounmpo & Milwaukee Bucks
Despite entering his 10th season in the NBA, Giannis Antetokounmpo is only just entering his prime. He should be near the top of these kinds of lists for years to come as he is only getting better. The performances that he is putting on for the Greece national team in EuroBasket preparation show that he deserves the title as best basketball player currently in the world.
