NEW YORK _ LeBron James went west but the best player is still in the Eastern Conference.
That's according to Knicks coach David Fizdale, who surprisingly gave the title to 23-year-old Giannis Antetokounmpo.
"The guy is, right now, to me the best player in the league," Fizdale said. "Playing at the highest level."
Asked how he might stop Milwaukee's hulking forward in Saturday's game at the Garden, Fizdale responded, "You got a tractor? You got a tank?"
Antetokounmpo, who is only eight months older than Kristaps Porzingis, is thriving in Mike Budenholzer's system, averaging, before Saturday, 27.3 points, 12.9 rebounds and six assists. The Bucks are also second in the Eastern Conference, improving dramatically since replacing Jason Kidd at coach with Budenholzer.
Nonetheless, it's notable that Fizdale crowned Antetokounmpo as the best in the NBA after coaching LeBron as an assistant for four seasons in Miami. There's also a pending free agent in Golden State _ Kevin Durant _ the two-time defending NBA Finals MVP who many believe belongs atop the player rankings.
But Antetokounmpo, amazingly, is more athletically freakish than either of those superstars. Even LeBron. His nickname is "Greek Freak" for a reason.
In his previous matchup against the Knicks in Milwaukee on Oct. 22, he dropped 31 points and 15 boards. It represented the first of eight times this season Antetokounmpo recorded a double-double with at least 30 points. The Bucks owned a six-game winning streak against the Knicks going into Saturday, with Antetokounmpo averaging about 28 points and 10.6 rebounds versus New York since the 2016-17 season.
"I'm certainly glad he's on our team," Budenholzer said. "There are a lot of great players in this league. So just the fact that Giannis is in that conversation and coaches feel that way about him is a huge statement for how good Giannis is. So we're just going to keep pushing him. We feel he can get a lot better. That's kind of the exciting part about Giannis. He's certainly special."
The last time Antetokounmpo was at the Garden _ prior to Saturday _ he was under the basket when Porzingis landed on him awkwardly. That same night Porzingis was diagnosed with a torn ACL and the Knicks were sent down their current path of arduous and nervous rebuilding.
The Bucks, meanwhile, have what Fizdale dubbed the NBA's best player.
"It takes a team effort to have any impact on him," Fizdale said.
