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NBA Analyst Believes Giannis Antetokounmpo's Comments About 'Playing In Europe Is Harder' Has A Deeper Meaning
Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Broussard is certain that the top European players want the NBA to be tougher as it was during Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson's era.

The NBA may be the biggest basketball league in the world, but there's still a debate that it is not the hardest league. It should be quite obvious from the fact that over the last few years, more and more overseas players have risen to stardom in the NBA.

The likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and Luka Doncic have all proved that they can easily dominate the league. But at the same time, they have talked about playing in Europe being harder than in the NBA.

Last year, Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic admitted to easily scoring in the NBA. Now, almost a year later, two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo has said something similar.

Since the Greek Freak is widely regarded as the best player in the league, his admission to the game in Europe being way harder than NBA could be worrisome for the league.

Chris Broussard Thinks Giannis Antetokounmpo And Other European Players Want The NBA To Make Some Changes

After Giannis' admission, the reigning MVP of the NBA, Nikola Jokic, also agreed to his rival's point. Keeping all that in mind, one might wonder what the biggest reason behind players finding playing in the NBA easier compared to Europe is.

NBA analyst Chris Broussard believes their comments about playing in Europe sound similar to how the NBA was during Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson's era.

(Starts at 3:38)

"If you listen to what they're saying. Giannis said the floor is not as spread, so did Jokic, right? It's not as spread out. So what they mean is there's more bodies in the paint. The floor over there is a little bit smaller, so obviously, it's not going to be as spread out and the three-point line is shorter, so the bodies aren't as far away from the basket. So what they're saying is there's more people in the lane. It's not as spread out as the NBA. It's more physical than the NBA, you gotta think more... Rob, call me crazy, but you know what that sounds like? The old NBA. Michael Jordan's NBA, Magic Johnson's NBA."

It is true that the NBA is not as physical as it used to be. In fact, it has become very friendly for offensive players.

As a result, European players are having a field day out there. They have a much easier time racking up huge numbers when compared to playing in Europe. The NBA needs to change a few rules to at least make the league a little bit tougher in the future.

This article first appeared on Fadeaway World and was syndicated with permission.

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