Tonight’s game between the Milwaukee Bucks and the New Orleans Pelicans will be a must-watch due to both teams having great seasons and deep rosters full of talent. But despite all the exciting players on both teams, all eyes will be focused on the duel at the power forward position between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Zion Williamson.
Battle of beasts
Many fans would agree that Giannis and Zion are the two most physically imposing players in the entire NBA. On one side, you have the Greek Freak, standing at 6’11” and 240lbs of athleticism, speed, and strength that makes him virtually unstoppable once going downhill to the rack.
But on the other hand, Zion is not too shabby. After working a lot on his body and losing weight, Williamson now stands at 6’6” and 280 lbs of power, looking like a freight train. Williamson is far from overweight now, looking springy and healthy as ever.
Although Giannis has a pretty sizeable height advantage, Zion holds 40 pounds on the Bucks superstar which will play a huge part in their matchup. Antetokounmpo won’t just be able to overpower Williamson, and he will have to use his size advantage to maybe shoot over the Pelicans star and get him outside the paint where the Greek Freak can possibly blow by him.
Previous matchups
The two power forwards only played each other 3 times in their careers, but they were all gamers to remember. Giannis has gotten the better of Zion so far, holding a 2-1 record in those duels and outplaying him. Antetokounmpo has averaged 36.7 ppg, 12.7 rpg, and 5.0 apg when playing against the Pelicans star.
But Zion hasn’t been too shabby, as he also takes his game to the next level when playing the best, averaging 25.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg, and 6.0 apg in those games. Tonight the Pelicans star will be looking to improve to those averages and make it 2-2 when battling the Bucks superstar.
But knowing Giannis and his competitive fire, he will bring it tonight, especially considering he is playing against the youngster everyone dubs to be the next version of him. In the end, it’s all about respect between these two forces.
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