As a former MVP, the reigning Finals MVP, and one of the top two or three players in the world, Kevin Durant knows a thing or two about greatness. Which means we should probably take his thoughts on Giannis Antetokounmpo's potential seriously.
During a recent Q&A on his YouTube page (KD is extremely online), Durant was asked about his favorite player in the league to watch, and he was quick to respond with "Greek Freak." After showing a few other players some love, including his teammate Steph Curry, who he said didn't count in his rankings because he sees him every day, Durant added some thoughts on Giannis.
"He could end up being the best to player to ever play," Durant said.
Durant's full thoughts on Milwaukee's young superstar:
Who are your favorite players in the NBA to watch?
Greek Freak, probably the number one guy I like to watch. Steph Curry, obviously the most fun player to play the game, but he's on my team, I get to see him every day. But Greek Freak is probably number one... Greek Freak I think is a force, I've never seen anything like him. His ceiling is probably, he could end up being the best player to ever play if he really wanted to. That's pretty scary to think about, but he's by far my favorite player to watch.
It goes without saying that Giannis has a long way to go to before we can even think about including him in that discussion, but the young Buck is absolutely on the path to superstardom. Last season he became the first player in league history to finish in the top 20 for total points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. In addition, he was the fifth player to lead his team in all five major stat categories.
That he accomplished those feats at all is stunning, but that he did so in just his fourth NBA season and at 22 years old is absurd. If the Greek Freak can continue putting together seasons like that, perhaps one day he will indeed find himself among the all-time greats.
