The standout player for the Milwaukee Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo, has even dazzled seasoned basketball veterans such as Coach Vin Baker, a former All-Star and champion. When Baker talks about Giannis, his words are weighed heavily by experience and provide insightful commentary on the brilliance of the rising star.

Now take out your notebook and get comfortable—wisdom is waiting for you. Coach Baker breaks down Giannis’ game in a new episode of The Players’ Tribune’s Knuckleheads Podcast, explaining what makes him such a dominant player and a throwback to a bygone age of basketball.

The first and most significant thing Coach Baker notes is Giannis’s unwavering attitude. Calling him “a player straight out of the 90s,” he highlights his unwavering will to dominate the game.

Giannis’ relentless attack-the-rim style and his unwillingness to back down from a challenge are evocative of players from the past like Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan, who changed the definition of physicality in sports.

Giannis is more than just an aggressive athlete. He has a unique combination of strength, quickness, and size that is uncommon in today’s game.He is compared to a “hybrid of Shawn Kemp & Scottie Pippen” by Coach Baker, who emphasizes his ability to blend remarkable quickness and agility with raw force. Because of his special combination of skills, Giannis can both bully his way past opponents in the paint and use his agility to outmuscle them in transition.

But Giannis’ brilliance goes well beyond his physical characteristics. Coach Baker highlights his unrelenting commitment to ongoing development and focus.

Giannis, according to him, is “always in the gym, always working to improve his game,” which is a quality that is becoming harder to come by in the modern NBA. One of the main contributing factors to Giannis’ quick ascent to the top of the basketball world is his unwavering devotion to his craft.

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