Giannis Antetokounmpo is having his moment

Playoff shortcomings have left Giannis to answer for quite a bit in the last several years.

Toronto and Miami walled off his head-down b-lines for the bucket, and the two-time MVP didn’t have much of an answer. His sheer greatness still produced some fairly gaudy numbers, but not to his usual MVP standard and with much less efficiency.

And with that, the floodgates opened to a swarm of questions many couldn’t help bust ask given the evidence that warranted them.

Could someone without much range outside the restricted area lead a legitimate contender? Would his battering ram style of play work at the highest level? Did he NEED a jumpshot to unlock his championship potential? Does Milwaukee need to find a Kobe to Antetokounmpo’s Shaq?

Perhaps these questions were an oversimplification of the bigger issues that plagued Milwaukee in consecutive postseasons, from team building to questionable coaching. Such is the burden of superstardom, where logic and fair treatment aren’t always on the table.

But there was something missing from Antetokounmpo that gave weight to those concerns.

Looking back on all the all-time greats in NBA history, every single one of them has a moment of validation.