Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo are having stellar seasons.
This past week, Kevin Garnett delved into an interesting topic on his podcast: who is the best player in the NBA today?
Understandably, the conversation came down to Jokic and Antetokounmpo.
Although the former is obviously the reigning two-time winner of the MVP award, Garnett firmly believes that Antetokounmpo is the superior overall player.
“He’s one of the best players in the league,” Garnett said of Jokic.
“I can’t say that [he’s the best player in the league] because Joker doesn’t implement the defense. I’m just saying he doesn’t impact the defensive end like a Giannis. We are tending to think of the MVP as the best scorer.”
As someone who went down in the pantheons of NBA history for his defensive prowess, Garnett simply cannot dub a guy the league’s best player when he only excels on one side of the ball.
“If I’m saying the best player, I cannot say that he’s the best player,” Garnett continued.
“He’s one of them. He does not impact the defensive side of the ball like Giannis does.”
It is hard to argue with Garnett’s point.
Whether he is naming who the “Michael Jordan of this era” is, speaking frankly about Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball or getting brutally honest about Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James’ brand of trash talk – Garnett always keeps it pretty real.
This particular case was no exception.
Time will tell whether Jokic or Antetokounmpo ultimately wins the MVP in 2023, but there is no denying that the latter is definitely the more imposing and impactful defensive player.
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