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Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks is guarded by Moses Moody #4 and Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors in the second half at Chase Center on March 06, 2024 in San Francisco, California.
Former All-Star DeMarcus Cousins has cast serious doubts about the basketball fit between Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Golden State Warriors, amid a strong wave of rumors linking the “Greek Freak” and the Bay Area franchise.
While analyzing the various Giannis trade suitors on FanDuel TV’s “Run it Back,” Cousins questioned if Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was “the right person” to coach Antetokounmpo, who plays a de facto point-forward role in Milwaukee.
“You think about the fit next to Draymond [Green] and how that works. You have to figure out that dynamic,” Cousins said of two non-shooters playing together.
“And then you also have to consider Steve Kerr — is he even the right guy to coach a talent like Giannis?” Cousins questioned. “This isn’t a guy who has shown, throughout his history, to really tweak his system. You have to really come in ad fit the system.”
How Giannis Could Fit With Warriors
“I don’t necessarily know if Giannis is the perfect fit for that system,” added Cousins, who played for Kerr and the Warriors during the 2018-19 season.
There could be some credence to Cousins’ point. Kerr, whose system relies a lot on misdirections and off-ball screens, may not allow Antetokounmpo to bring the ball up the floor every single time and control the offense, as he has in Milwaukee for years. Furthermore, as Cousins alluded to, the Warriors may have some spacing issues with Green and Antetokounmpo, two non-shooters, in starting and closing lineups.
Some analysts, though, would argue that the two-man game of Antetokounmpo and Curry could be lethal, and both could benefit from commanding so much attention from opponent defenses. Furthermore, Antetokounmpo has shown the ability to knock down threes at an efficient clip in recent years, as he’s shooting a career-high 39.5% from three this season, albeit on only 0.5 attempts per game.
Giannis to Warriors Buzz
Cousins’ concerns notwithstanding, the Warriors seem to be fully intent on aggressively pursuing a Giannis trade ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline. Per ESPN’s Anthony Slater, the Warriors made an offer for the 2021 NBA Finals MVP last week and have ramped up their efforts to try and pair Antetokounmpo with Curry.
“League sources told ESPN that the Warriors have contacted the Bucks in the past week and expressed their firm interest in Antetokounmpo and their willingness to put a substantial offer on the table regardless of his calf strain and undetermined return timetable,” wrote Slater.
The report added that the Warriors are willing to surrender all their future first-round draft picks through 2032, along with their young assets Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski, and other matching salary. Some insiders have suggested that they are also willing to trade the injured Jimmy Butler III to make the money work.