Giannis Antetokounmpo will be playing all five positions!

He’s taller than he was when he came to the NBA

"He is 20 years old, and he's going to play every position for us" Kidd said. "He's never complaining. He just goes out there and plays ". Giannis “The Greek Freak” Antetokounmpo will not just play both the forward spots but will see time at all five positions according to Coach Kidd.

The versatility of Giannis and the fact that the Bucks are loaded at the forward spot worked out well for Coach Kidd. Do you remember when he did not stop growing and ended up 2 inches taller last year compared to 2013? Well, Giannis has been growing steadily and when he was a teenager he played as a guard in Greece. When he started playing forward in the NBA he was 6-9 then he measured 6-11 at the start of the last season!

Giannis had played Point Guard all his life and overseas in Greece at Filathlitikos. He runs up and down the court like a guard and handles the ball with ease. He can get to anywhere he wants on the court with the ball in his hands and create his own shot.

It was no secret that Coach Kidd used his point guard skills right from the start when he landed in Milwaukee. The team then traded for Michael Carter-Williams and let go Brandon Knight who was having a career year. This move established the type of team Kidd wanted in Milwaukee. The starting five were all tall (even by basketball standards) at 6”10’ or above with Jabari Parker at the Forward spot.

With the latest news that he will play all position, Kidd added that he will spend limited and only required time running the point. This reminds us when Magic started at Center for Lakers. Magic was by no means a Center but filled up a necessity the team needed then.

Giannis is no Magic, he had 2.1 turnovers to 2.6 assists last year. However, he demonstrated improved ball-handling and PG skills late in the season. The third-year forward, excuse me F/G/C can be expected to be more mature with the ball.

Giannis has played four of the five positions last season, how would he fare playing Center. It would mean matching up against Marc Gasol, Andre Drummond, Dwight Howard, DeAndre Jordan, etc. It does not sound fun anymore, right? We have to be reminded of the fact that Giannis is 20 years old and has not fully grown into his body to take that kind of punishment from these gigantic Centers. But that is what we would see him try and do when he is playing Center for Kidd’s team this season.

But if Giannis eventually has to settle down for one spot to shape his career, he should start playing as Power forward. When he adds on muscle and weight as he grows older, he would be able to set pick-and-rolls which will leave a smaller guard switching on him.

He has improved his shot, this would allow him to stretch the floor or take his defender from the perimeter. It would be interesting to see how he ages, if he remains the same way like Durant or bulks up like up like Anthony Davis. Either way, he is drawing great comparisons and it will be a treat for NBA fans to watch him play.

For now, he will not play versus Knicks due to his suspension. We will have to wait till Friday to watch him in action and to see how he looks playing all 5 positions. It is an interesting experiment - both third-year coach and third-year player will try to figure out as the long season unwinds. If he manages to play through all the positions, it will be an amazing and gruelling feat that has never been done before.

Did you know – Giannis played as a special participant in 2013 Greek League all-star team; he was not selected initially.