Kevin Garnett Throws Shade at Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo: ‘He’s Fourth Best Player in East’

Over the last few seasons, the Milwaukee Bucks have been one of the better teams in the entire NBA. They won the NBA title in 2021 but haven’t been able to get back to the top of the mountain since.

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This has been due to injuries come playoff time but Milwaukee still remains a lethal force in the Eastern Conference. Led by superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks will be looking to reclaim their spot atop the conference this season.

But there are some who believe Antetokounmpo has fallen off a little bit since winning the NBA title. Former Celtics teammates and NBA greats Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett discussed the best players in the East on a special episode of the KG Certified called TICKET & THE TRUTH.

When discussing Antetokounmpo, Garnett had some interesting thoughts on the Bucks star forward.

“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.”

While Tatum just led the Boston Celtics to the championship, it’s not crystal clear that he should be considered the best player in the East over Antetokounmpo. Antetokounmpo has dealt with some injuries in the past few seasons that have limited him on the court. Availability does matter, but Antetokounmpo is considered by many to be a top player in the NBA, not just in the East.

But when healthy, Antetokounmpo is one of the more dominating presences on an NBA floor. Last season, he averaged 30.4 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game.

Embiid averaged 34.4 points, 11.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists. Tatum put up 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game.

When pressed again by Pierce about Antetokounmpo, Garnett called him the fourth-best player in the conference.

“He’s probably like the, what, fourth-best player over there?” Garnett posed. “I mean, fourth-best player in the East?”

Strictly statistic-based, Embiid leads the charge. But when on the floor, he tends to fall behind Tatum and Antetokounmpo.

There is more than just what the statistics show and both players tend to be more consistent. Both Tatum and Antetokounmpo have won a title and continue to ascend so if anything, they could be on par with each other for the best player in the East heading into the new season.

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