Antetokounmpo now Greece's main man

Giannis Antetokounmpo (GRE) - Spain v Greece, 2015 EuroBasket, Lille (France), Quarter-Finals, 15 September 2015
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VALENCIA (Jeff Taylor's Eurovision) - Greece's Giannis Antetokounmpo didn't make it to the podium at EuroBasket 2015.
He wasn't included in the All-Star Five, either.

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Players rarely do after losing Quarter-Finals, although Pau Gasol did at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

But looking back at his EuroBasket 2015, was there a player in the competition who exhibited more natural, high-flying talent than the 20-year-old Antetokounmpo?

He was like Dominique Wilkins, a human highlight reel.

He made us all stand up and applaud. 

Jaw-dropping plays were the norm for Antetokounmpo.

There were plenty of dunks.

There were plenty of blocks, like one he had against Pau Gasol. 

If a club in the NBA could add any of the EuroBasket players to their roster, which one would it be?

France's giant center Rudy Gobert would probably be the pick of some, but the long, high-flying Antetokounmpo would surely be the choice of others.

The Milwaukee Bucks certainly won't be looking to get rid of him.

Playing for the national team for a second consecutive summer was just what the 2.11m small forward needed ahead of third NBA season.
 
"It was a great experience," he said.

"I'm very happy that I was able to represent Greece in the championship. 

"I learned a lot. I played seven games in 10 nights. That helped me a lot to get better when I came back here (to Milwaukee).

If you look back at the EuroBasket, and it's something that Greece coach Fotis Katsikaris has probably done a lot, one has to wonder where it all went wrong for the Greeks.

On the one hand, losing to Spain in the Quarter-Finals, 73-71, was not surprising because of the excellence of Gasol.
 
However, a Greece team that had a lot of weapons at their disposal probably got it wrong when it failed to up the tempo against the Spaniards.

Kostas Sloukas could have played more minutes as part of a three-guard lineup that would have also had Nick Calathes and either Vassilis Spanoulis, Nikos Zisis or Evangelos Mantzaris.

In that lineup, Antetokounmpo would have slotted in at power forward instead of Georgios Printezis and Kostas Koufos would have played center.

When Antetokounmpo would run and attack the basket, no one would have stopped in.

When he would have hit three-pointers, power forwards would have had to go out on the perimeter to defend him.

As it was, Greece lost to a team they haven't been able to beat in an important game in the Pau Gasol era and had to settle for fifth place and a spot in one of next year's FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments (OQTs).

The good news for Greece is that Antetokounmpo appears to enjoy playing for his homeland and is just scratching the surface of his potential.
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Imagine, even in that defeat to Spain, he had 17 rebounds to go with his 12 points.

Antetokounmpo also revealed himself to be a decent shooter from long range, nailing eight of 16 attempts from the arc in Greece's last four games.

Milwaukee sure knew what they were doing when they picked the 'Greek Freak' in the draft while he was still a teenager.

While playing for a coach that knows a lot about transition basketball, Bucks boss Jason Kidd, Antetokounmpo will be able to pull up on fast-breaks and hit some three-pointers.

He'll even look to take them in the half-court sets.

"I think it’s going to take my game to the next level by bringing the defensive guys so far out there," he said. 

"It will allow me to drive the lanes and score or create for the other guys." 

Another NBA season is just what Antetokounmpo needs to get over the hangover of not reaching the Semi-Finals of the EuroBasket and playing for a spot in the Olympics.

"I was disappointed because I thought we were a better team than Spain," he said. 

"I don't know what happened that night. 

"What can I say? That’s the game of basketball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you don't... 
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A good season is what he needs and now that Spanoulis has retired from international basketball, Greece's biggest and brightest star is Antetokounmpo.

By: Jeff Taylor