Jusuf Nurkic explained why Giannis Antetokounmpo is even more dangerous in comparison to the NBA on Eurobasket.
Giannis Antetokounmpo may have put aside a fierce summer with the Milwaukee Bucks for the time being, as he has promised his team a future.
In the meantime, Antetokounmpo will focus on playing against Greece in the Eurobasket tournament. In his first match against Italy, Giannis was unstoppable, and Greece brought the victory.
The Greek national team looked like oiled machines. Durbin Hamm suggested that after seeing how well the sides work around the previous MVP, they should emulate Giannis’ role with Greece.
However, Jusuf Nurkic believes Antetokounmpo has something he doesn’t have while playing for Eurobasket.
Jusuf Nurkic spoke to Basketnews ahead of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s match against Greece to discuss upcoming matches.
When talking with Giannis Antetokounmpo about what he brings, Nurkic pointed out that Giannis plays as a center and has more presence in the paint, which works very well in his favor.
“I think that’s not the case. He’s playing more with ‘5’ right now. Obviously he’ll have to protect too,” he pointed out.
“Of course he’s not. In the NBA, he has a lot of space and shooters like Brook Lopez spread out the floor, so he can barely stop him.
“There’s another game here. There’s no defensive three seconds, but a lot’s going on with the paint, but he’s still the dominant player.
“Setting up FIBA is probably a little easier than setting up the NBA because he has more NBA floor spaced than here.
“But he’s still going to score his points, and I think it’s most important to think about what everyone around him is trying to do.
“Giannis is going to score points by doing what he’s doing. You won’t be able to stop Giannis by getting into paint or something.
“But all you can control is what his teammates are trying to do and what shots people make around him.”
Jusuf Nurkic was pretty much a complement to Giannis Antetokounmpo, but his comment that other teams in Greece were equally important rubbed some people the wrong way.
In fact, former NBA star Eddie Johnson took X to react to these comments and enjoyed how Nurkic struggled with Giannis on the Eurobasket fixture.
“A strong word from Mr. Nurkic. Amazing! Giannis now seeks 50 pieces, and Nurk will get 7 pieces!”
Nurkic has not had a great time with the Bosnian national team so far. In fact, Nurkic was called by his head coach for getting the shape.
I hope he will raise it after reading these comments and get a great showdown between the two NBA stars in Eurobasket.