A quote from Devin Booker about Giannis Antetokounmpo went viral after his Phoenix Suns beat the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night, but the quote looks much worse than it is.
Antetokounmpo had 47 points in the game, but he missed a mid-range jumper at the buzzer as Milwaukee lost 125-124.
Giannis drops 47 PTS vs. Suns but falls short on the final shot. pic.twitter.com/VuCLohRxDo
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 11, 2021
Some questioned the wisdom of Antetokounmpo taking that shot rather than a better outside shooter like his Bucks teammate, Khris Middleton.
The viral quote came after the game from Booker, who said he felt Phoenix was in good shape when Giannis pulled up from midrange.
Devin Booker's thoughts when he saw Giannis Antetokounmpo pulling up from the midrange area for the potential game-winner: "We're in good shape."
— Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) February 11, 2021
The quote looked on the surface like Booker was disrespecting Giannis. However, the context softens things.
Booker was saying that it was Phoenix’s strategy to try and keep Giannis out of the paint and force him to an outside shot. They were successful in executing their strategy, which is why he was happy.
The full question and answer from Book with the followup question and answer for the ~context~ pic.twitter.com/8gSUAAzOef
— Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) February 11, 2021
It’s not exactly breaking news that Antetokounmpo is a beast attacking the basket and that it’s good practice to try and keep him out of the paint. But that’s not easy to do, which is why defenses should feel happy when they are able to do it.
