What if… Giannis Antetokounmpo had teamed up with Dirk Nowitzki to Dallas ? It is impossible to know what trajectory his career would have taken, but the Mavericks could have looked great in the second half of the 2010s and it's Mark Cuban who returns, in the Shannon Sharpe podcaston the time he missed the Greek phenomenon.
It was 2013, at the time of the Draft, when the “Greek Freak” was still an enigma in the United States.
“ It was when Giannis was going to be drafted that we passed him by » says the former majority owner of the Texan franchise, now a minority. “ We had Dirk and we had won the title two years earlier. Some members of our staff wanted to go for Giannis but I wanted to transfer our draft choice and we finally got Shane Larkin. Not because he was more NBA ready, but because we needed financial room to try to recruit someone and support Dirk. We still wanted to aim for the title and that's why it didn't happen with Giannis. »
Voluntary risk-taking
With hindsight, and even if the salary margin recovered did not allow the Mavericks to aim for the title, Mark Cuban does not seem to express too much regret about his decision because, as he clearly states in this same podcast, the Mavericks “ would never have had Luka Doncic » if they had picked up Giannis Antetokounmpo in the 2013 Draft.
Ten years ago, the former boss of Dallas already mentioned this episode by referring to Donnie Nelson, then GM of the Texans (since fired).
“ Donnie actually wanted [choisir Giannis]but I said it was better to follow our plan. Donnie said he would risk everything to take it. But what would we do if, suddenly, a big fish wanted to join us and we no longer had room to sign him? This is the precise reason why we put together a plan. We took our chance. In any case, you can always judge in hindsight… »
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2013-14 | MIL | 77 | 25 | 41.4 | 34.7 | 68.3 | 1.0 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 6.8 |
| 2014-15 | MIL | 81 | 31 | 49.1 | 15.9 | 74.1 | 1.2 | 5.5 | 6.7 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 0.9 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 12.7 |
| 2015-16 | MIL | 80 | 35 | 50.6 | 25.7 | 72.4 | 1.4 | 6.2 | 7.7 | 4.3 | 3.2 | 1.2 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 16.9 |
| 2016-17 | MIL | 80 | 36 | 52.1 | 27.2 | 77.0 | 1.8 | 7.0 | 8.8 | 5.4 | 3.1 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 1.9 | 22.9 |
| 2017-18 | MIL | 75 | 37 | 52.9 | 30.7 | 76.0 | 2.1 | 8.0 | 10.0 | 4.8 | 3.1 | 1.5 | 3.0 | 1.4 | 26.9 |
| 2018-19 ★ | MIL | 72 | 33 | 57.8 | 25.6 | 72.9 | 2.2 | 10.3 | 12.5 | 5.9 | 3.2 | 1.3 | 3.7 | 1.5 | 27.7 |
| 2019-20 ★ | MIL | 63 | 30 | 55.3 | 30.4 | 63.3 | 2.2 | 11.4 | 13.6 | 5.6 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 3.7 | 1.1 | 29.5 |
| 2020-21 | MIL | 61 | 33 | 56.9 | 30.3 | 68.5 | 1.6 | 9.4 | 11.0 | 5.9 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 3.4 | 1.2 | 28.2 |
| 2021-22 | MIL | 67 | 33 | 55.3 | 29.3 | 72.2 | 2.0 | 9.6 | 11.6 | 5.8 | 3.2 | 1.1 | 3.3 | 1.4 | 29.9 |
| 2022-23 | MIL | 63 | 32 | 55.3 | 27.5 | 64.5 | 2.2 | 9.6 | 11.8 | 5.7 | 3.1 | 0.8 | 3.9 | 0.8 | 31.1 |
| 2023-24 | MIL | 73 | 35 | 61.1 | 27.4 | 65.7 | 2.7 | 8.8 | 11.5 | 6.5 | 2.9 | 1.2 | 3.4 | 1.1 | 30.4 |
| Total | 792 | 33 | 54.5 | 28.6 | 70.2 | 1.8 | 7.9 | 9.8 | 4.9 | 3.0 | 1.1 | 3.0 | 1.2 | 23.4 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
