Stephen A. Smith: 'I can't say I’d rather have Giannis than Ja Morant in the playoffs' / News - Basketnews.com

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Ja Morant and Giannis Antetokounmpo look like the two most dominant NBA players so far in the season. The MVP debate has gotten heated, as the comparison between the two is inevitable.On ESPN's "First Take," sports media personality Stephen A. Smith talked about that choice:

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Team:Milwaukee BucksPosition:PF, SFAge:27Height:211 cmWeight:98 kgBirth place:Athens, GreeceProfileNewsStatistics

"Giannis is an obvious answer. But let Ja Morant keep ascending and I might go with him. I think it's a discussion.

Giannis is Giannis, he's a former league MVP, defensive player of the year... The guy's phenomenal. But we don't know what Ja is going to be. I look at him and I got him as a TOP 2 or TOP 3 MVP candidate right now," Smith said and continued.

"Right now, we can throw Joel Embiid, Kevin Durant, and Steph Curry in the conversation with Giannis. Curry fell off a little bit, but he can come back.

I know Giannis is going to dominate everybody. But I can't sit up there and definitively say I’d rather have Giannis than Ja come playoff time," he concluded.

Ja Morant is only in his third season in the league. Since being drafted as the second overall pick in the 2019 draft, he has gone on to light up the NBA with his high-flying dunks and incredible performances.Morant is averaging 24.4 points, 6.7 assists and 5.7 rebounds while shooting nearly 49% from the field. Morant has also been instrumental in the Memphis Grizzlies standing third in the Western Conference.

Giannis Antetokounmpo recently notched his 5th career game with 40 points, 15 rebounds & 5 assists. He plays for the reigning NBA champions Milwaukee Bucks and was the 2021 Finals MVP. He is also a two-time regular-season MVP and has won the Defensive Player of the Year award.

The Greek Freak is averaging 28.5 points, 11.2 rebounds and 6.1 assists while shooting at 53%.Let's see what happens "come playoff time", as Smith said.

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