Why is Giannis' brother out of the NBA? Kostas was the first of all Antetokounmpo brothers to get an NBA ring. But after short stints with the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers, he's back in the EuroLeague to prove his worth.
Kostas Antetokounmpo
| Team: |
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne |
| Position: | PF |
| Age: | 24 |
| Height: | 208 cm |
| Weight: | 91 kg |
| Birth place: | Athens, Greece |
BasketNews analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of Kostas Antetokounmpo to understand if he has the potential to come back to the NBA or become a dominant player in Europe.
Like all of his brothers, the 24-year-old Greek athlete is a nature freak. His listed height is 2 meters and 8 centimeters. Combining it with an enormous wingspan, you got a deadly combo for a hooper.
Despite his size, Kostas runs the floor extremely well, exactly as Giannis does. Though, the latter is the most skilled brother, creating havoc in transition with his handles and strength.
Kostas is playing at the center position in the EuroLeague. This is due to his lack of skill outside of athleticism. However, he is a precious weapon in transition, being able to outrun any big man in the league and convert any ball around the rim into two easy points.
The same physical advantages make Kostas a huge threat in the Pick & Roll situations. His rolling abilities cause a big headache for his opponents, especially after using a slip screen.
Him, being a huge alley-oop danger, opens up opportunities for his teammates to attack and score too. Potential lob situations distract the rivals, thus creating more space for others.
Despite that, Kostas' influence on ASVEL offense is minimal, according to the bballanalytics.com database. With him on the court, the squad's offensive rating remains almost the same.
The real difference is seen in his defensive metrics, where ASVEL's defense gets better by 21 points in 100 possessions. He is a perfect rim protector, erasing shots near his own basket. Even floaters lose their effectiveness against Kostas. Players think twice before meeting him at the rim.
Kostas Antetokounmpo
| MIN: | 13.48 |
| PTS: | 5.64 (66.67%) |
| REB: | 3.14 |
| As: | 0.14 |
| ST: | 0.64 |
| BL: | 1 |
| TO: | 0.57 |
| GM: | 14 |
Moreover, the Greek athlete can recover long distances in a matter of seconds thanks to his speed and hands length, therefore opponents need to be careful when driving to the basket.
Another thing about his impact on defense is that - with Kostas in their lineup, ASVEL can use the switch-all system, as his physical tools allow him to be an above-average perimeter defender.
Considering all of his strengths, Kostas is playing only 13 minutes in the EuroLeague and averaging 5.6 points. Why so?
That's because when the talk switches from natural talents versus skills and basketball IQ, the situation gets tricky. His two-point percentage is at 73%, but when he has to finish everything else but the dunks, it can get pretty ugly.
Kostas looks uncomfortable attacking the rim when he gets the ball outside and needs to take one more dribble. His post-up skills often finish in turnovers, losing the ball due to poor dribbling.
One more major weakness of the 24-year-old is the lack of strength. Because of this, he gets easily pushed around in mismatch cases. Teams with strong post-up centers try to attack Kostas since he cannot absorb the contact. Besides that, he is a stupid foul-prone as he tries to block three-point shots too hardly.
Just like Giannis, Kostas cannot offer floor spacing as he does not have a great shot from deep and has only taken three three-point attempts in the EuroLeague this season.
To sum up, the lack of skills and his playing style, which relies only on physical tools, stop Kostas from making a big leap in his career.
Check the full story here:
Thank you for reading us! Help us even more.
