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Interesting strategy by David Thorpe. Suggests perhaps Kyle is the best guard on Giannis a lot
STOPPING GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO
THE MISSION: Get him to post up, thus reducing his punishing attacks from the perimeter.
THE TRICK: Assign him a tiny defender, inviting him to post up so he can use his size advantage.
THE SURPRISE: Take him out of his most effective attacks and utilize well-timed help to frustrate him.
THE INDIVIDUAL PLAN: Giannis is a nightmare of length, speed, skill, and athleticism. He attacks relentlessly, leading the NBA in dunks. Most teams do their best to counter that with size; he faces defenders like 6-10 Al Horford, 6-7 Kawhi Leonard, and 6-9 Pascal Siakam. The problem with that strategy is that Giannis initiates most of his attack sequences from the perimeter and zooms past them. He’s faster than just about anyone his size. A smaller defender invites Giannis to post up, which is not his strength—according to Synergy Sports, he makes just .986 points per post-up, compared to 1.42 points as a cutter. Kyle Lowry lives for these assignments, he’s so tough to maneuver around and he will fight for every inch of space. Danny Green is a good option as well.
Once in the post, I would tell the defender to get even smaller. Sit low to the ground with a forearm or hand in his back, eyes focused on Giannis' midsection, waiting for his move to the middle of the paint. Ordinarily, the main advantage of getting low is having increased leverage to hold position. Also, there are steals to be had down low should he dribble. In this case, though, the primary advantage is in goading Giannis into one of his worst offensive skills: face-up shooting over a defender. If he turns to shoot, that's sure not a dunk! And about as poor an attempt as you can get him to take.
THE HELP: It’s quite likely he won't shoot over his defender. And here's where the Raptors can make some clever rules about helping. Never double-team before he dribbles or if he’s stationary dribbling—that makes it too easy for him to see what's happening. Instead, use his speed against him. When he makes a sudden move, rush the nearest player from behind. The quicker, smaller primary defender can prevent him from turning the corner on his first move, and once slowed, the second man arrives, ready to “muck up” all those spin moves and pivots that Giannis loves so much.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Giannis might be the best player in the world. He averages 27 points per game on 17 shots this postseason, which is a nightmare. He'll score plenty no matter what you do. But at this stage of his career, his post-up game is not elite. The more time he spends doing those things, the better.
THE MISSION: Get him to post up, thus reducing his punishing attacks from the perimeter.
THE TRICK: Assign him a tiny defender, inviting him to post up so he can use his size advantage.
THE SURPRISE: Take him out of his most effective attacks and utilize well-timed help to frustrate him.
THE INDIVIDUAL PLAN: Giannis is a nightmare of length, speed, skill, and athleticism. He attacks relentlessly, leading the NBA in dunks. Most teams do their best to counter that with size; he faces defenders like 6-10 Al Horford, 6-7 Kawhi Leonard, and 6-9 Pascal Siakam. The problem with that strategy is that Giannis initiates most of his attack sequences from the perimeter and zooms past them. He’s faster than just about anyone his size. A smaller defender invites Giannis to post up, which is not his strength—according to Synergy Sports, he makes just .986 points per post-up, compared to 1.42 points as a cutter. Kyle Lowry lives for these assignments, he’s so tough to maneuver around and he will fight for every inch of space. Danny Green is a good option as well.
Once in the post, I would tell the defender to get even smaller. Sit low to the ground with a forearm or hand in his back, eyes focused on Giannis' midsection, waiting for his move to the middle of the paint. Ordinarily, the main advantage of getting low is having increased leverage to hold position. Also, there are steals to be had down low should he dribble. In this case, though, the primary advantage is in goading Giannis into one of his worst offensive skills: face-up shooting over a defender. If he turns to shoot, that's sure not a dunk! And about as poor an attempt as you can get him to take.
THE HELP: It’s quite likely he won't shoot over his defender. And here's where the Raptors can make some clever rules about helping. Never double-team before he dribbles or if he’s stationary dribbling—that makes it too easy for him to see what's happening. Instead, use his speed against him. When he makes a sudden move, rush the nearest player from behind. The quicker, smaller primary defender can prevent him from turning the corner on his first move, and once slowed, the second man arrives, ready to “muck up” all those spin moves and pivots that Giannis loves so much.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Giannis might be the best player in the world. He averages 27 points per game on 17 shots this postseason, which is a nightmare. He'll score plenty no matter what you do. But at this stage of his career, his post-up game is not elite. The more time he spends doing those things, the better.
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