NBA legend Kevin Garnett believes that Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t better than Jayson Tatum or Joel Embiid, slating him as “probably” the “fourth-best player” in the Eastern Conference.
“You can’t say that with Embiid over there,” Garnett said to co-host Paul Pierce when asked if Antetokounmpo is the best player in the East. “… And with Jayson Tatum up there.”
Pierce then chimed in and said the Milwaukee star is “arguably” the best player in the Eastern Conference, with the emphasis on “arguably.”
“No, I’m not arguing that,” Garnett said.
It was then pointed out that Antetokounmpo and the Bucks have been knocked out of the playoffs in the first round in each of the last two seasons. While Pierce attributed that to injuries (Antetokounmpo didn’t even play in the Bucks’ series loss to the Indiana Pacers in the 2023-24 season), Garnett didn’t seem moved by that explanation.
Pierce then once again said that he believes Antetokounmpo is in the conversation for the top player in the East.
“He’s probably like the, what, fourth-best player over there?” Garnett posed. “I mean, fourth-best player in the East?”
Aside from Tatum and Embiid, it’s unclear who else Garnett had in mind for players above Antetokounmpo.
Even though Antetokounmpo is a two-time NBA MVP and won a title in the 2020-21 season, Garnett appears to be focused more on what players have accomplished lately, like last season.
While that’s a fair way to look at the current NBA, it still may be discounting what Antetokounmpo accomplished in the 2023-24 season before he got hurt.
In 73 games last season, Antetokounmpo averaged 30.4 points, 11.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game while shooting 61.1 percent from the field. The eight-time All-Star ended up finishing fourth in the league in MVP voting, ahead of both Tatum (sixth) and Embiid (did not qualify due to games missed).
There are several great players in the East, from Tatum to Embiid to New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson (fifth in MVP voting last season) to Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler. That’s not even mentioning players like Tyrese Haliburton, Bam Adebayo, Paolo Banchero, Donovan Mitchell, Jaylen Brown and Damian Lillard, who all were All-Stars in the East last season.
Still, Antetokounmpo has been a perennial MVP candidate for quite some time, and he’s one of the few players in the East that has won an NBA Finals MVP.
If the Bucks star has a big season and leads Milwaukee to a deep playoff run in the 2024-25 campaign, it may change Garnett’s mind about him and where he ranks in the conference.
