Jusuf Nurkic says the quiet part aloud about Giannis Antetokounmpo

While the Utah Jazz Fanbase understandably focuses its attention on the revival of Lauri Markkanen during Eurobasket, the new Jazz Great Man Jusuf Nurkic also participates in the tournament. Nurkic plays for his home country, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and their next matchup is against Greece and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Nurkic took a slight puncture on the double MVP before their matchup.

With Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday opposite Greece, Nurkic made it clear for the first time that stopping them is about slowing down Antetokounmpo, while he talks Giorgos Kyriakidis from BasCnews.

“Of course you have to slow Giannis. You have to build the wall for him,” said Nurkic. “He’s not the only one. We must comprehend everyone. We can’t allow that many three as tonight. When we build the wall, we still have to protect the three -point line. That will be a key. Harmer him on the fast break, what his number one is to do.”

Nurkic, however, pointed to one mistake with the game of Antetokounmpo and how Greece uses it.

“I think it is different. Now he plays more on the ‘5’. Of course he will also have to defend,” Nurkic told Kyriakidis. “But at the end of the day, just put him in transition and live with his shots. In general, he has sucked into that defense in recent years that he played in Eurobasket. But it’s not just him, so we’ll be ready.”

Antetokounmpo is a seven-footer who has made a defensive name in the NBA. He has made four teams for all defense (although he did not make one in three years), but there is a reason why the bucks have always put a rim protector next to him, dating from 2018 with Brook Lopez and now Myles Turner.

Although Antetokounmpo is absolutely large enough to play a full-time center, it can best be used in a non-edge protection role and more as a perimeter defender because of his frame and athletics. If Milwaukee didn’t see it that way, they would play with him this season.

Nurkic also praises the dominance of Antetokounmpo

While he discussed Antetokounmpo, Nurkic made it clear that Antetokounmpo, regardless of the competition, is definitely one of the most difficult players to stop.

“Of course he is different. In the NBA he has so much space, with shooters such as Brook Lopez spreading the floor, he is almost unstoppable. Here it is another game – not a defensive three seconds, so much happens in the paint – but he is still a dominant player,” Nurkic said.

Nurkic earns props because they are brutally honest here. He acknowledges that Antetokounmpo is one of the best basketball players alive, but he also points out how he can be exploited. That will ensure a very intriguing matchup between the two NBA Bigs tomorrow.