‘He also has to’: Erik Spoelstra tells Giannis Antetokounmpo he needs to do what Magic Johnson did
· Yahoo Sports
Magic Johnson is one of the greatest basketball players in the history of the NBA, and Giannis Antetokounmpo has been asked to learn a thing or two from him.
The Miami Heat superstar is already one of the best players in the league, and he has been performing brilliantly this season.
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Antetokounmpo’s strengths are his ability to attack downhill and bulldoze his way through to the basket. That often works, but there is something else he can do to hurt teams even more.
Giannis Antetokounmpo told to add a ‘touch of Magic Johnson’ to his game
Antetokounmpo shares several similarities with Johnson.
Both players are huge, possess the ability to stampede down the floor on the break and have a combination of size and momentum that forces defences to collapse.
What puts Johnson in a league of his own is his playmaking ability despite his physical advantages. He was a traditional, pass-first point guard who took pride in creating for his teammates.
Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra has urged Antetokounmpo to add the above to his game following his performance against the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night.
He said in his press conference: “We need that. We need a touch of Magic Johnson with him. He’s shouldering a ton of responsibility. He’s literally making this look easy, whatever that stat line is – 34 points, 14 rebounds and almost 10 assists. He is literally making that look easy.
“But he also has to shoulder the responsibility of keeping the offence in a flow. That means when there’s defenders loading up, bringing a third defender, oftentimes it’s that early kick-out that gets guys in a rhythm or that quick triple handoff.
“He’s getting better at getting up the floor and letting D Mitch get us into offence. All of these things take a little bit of time.
“He’s a willing guy to be able to help our offence grow exponentially, and that’s by maximising his incredible talent but also his mind to be able to get other guys involved and let them become X factors in the game.”
Antetokounmpo showed off his vision in the win over the Pistons. He finished the game with eight assists, with his pass between his own legs to Klay Thompson being the highlight.
Spoelstra is right, though. If Antetokounmpo adds Johnson’s traits to his already incredible game, he will become an even bigger superstar.
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