Giannis Antetokounmpo joins extremely rare list, so let's stop ignoring his greatness

How long are we going to pretend what Giannis Antetokounmpo is doing is normal? I witnessed the carnage he put the Detroit Pistons through last night, and let me tell you, this eight-year stretch already deserves a Thinking Basketball Greatest Peak video.

Giannis has gotten his flowers to an extent. He's been named to the NBA's Top 75 and was crowned MVP in back-to-back seasons a few years ago. But though Giannis continues to stack accolades, the chatter around how fantastic he truly is doesn't seem as loud of late. 

What's also not loud is the best player in the world conversation. It's mute because we've pegged Nikola Jokic with that honor with little pushback. Jokic's impact puts him on the throne, but Giannis can turn on the speakers in that conversation with a carry job in these playoffs. 

Subscribe to The Whiteboard, FanSided's daily email newsletter on everything basketball. If you like The Whiteboard, share it with a friend! If you don't like it, share it with an enemy!

A deep playoff run can put Giannis Antetokounmpo back on top of the NBA

The only players to average 30 points and 10 rebounds a year for three consecutive seasons are Chamberlain and the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. But Giannis is approaching that list ahead of the final game of the regular season.

The insane will and determination needed to score like an all-timer and clean up the glass as a dirty-work guy is more than impressive. Throw in the three years in a row (!) qualifier and we are looking at something special.

Postseason success is a massive talking point in the best-in-the-world discussion. Giannis won his lone championship with a legendary 50-point Game 6 that closed out the deflated Phoenix Suns in 2021. But since then, Giannis and the Milwaukee Bucks have won just a singe playoff series. Injuries have derailed the team over the last two years; Giannis has only appeared in three playoff games since 2022 due to injuries. 

Injuries could do the thing again this year, as Giannis' running mate, Damian Lillard, has been sidelined with blood clots. We wish Dame a speedy recovery and hope he's back 100% for his post-basketball future; basketball comes second to these players' real lives. That said, his uncertain status means it's on Giannis to carry even more of the load, and he's done that and then some. 

Since Dame was sidelined, Giannis has been a world-bender, averaging 31 points, 11 rebounds, and more than Steve Nash's career assists per game average. Comparing an 11-game sample size versus Nash's full career is obviously unfair, and I'm not saying Giannis is a better floor general.

But how Giannis can step up and average 8.6 assists per night when his Hall of Fame point guard goes down is incredible, and speaks to his versatility. Giannis carved up the Pistons with 15 assists Friday night. His gravity sucked in the defense with straight-line drive and kicks and hot potato give-and-goes. He's not the playmaker Jokic is, but he's still one of the best big-man playmakers the game has seen.

No Dame, no problem. The Bucks will match up with the Indiana Pacers in the first round, which feels like a pick-em right now. The Pacers have the better team overall without Dame, but the Bucks have the best player in the series. Giannis scored his career-high vs. the Pacers (64) and has had plenty of success against their front line.

On the national playoff stage, Giannis is finally back and itching to show the world just how dynamic he is. Is he the best in the world? He has a case, though Jokic is a force to be reckoned with. A deep run, with Giannis doing his Wilt impression, could remind most that what Giannis is doing hasn't been normal. Please don't get bored with greatness; embrace it. We won't be treated with 30/10/5 on the regular forever.