Giannis Antetokounmpo is ready and willing to learn from LeBron James.
So long as the King will have him.
From Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com:
If I had the chance, the opportunity to work with him, of course I would,” he said. “You’d have to work with him. He’s one of the best players in the world. One summer working out with LeBron, you can learn a lot. It would help you moving forward. If I had the chance, of course I’ll grab the opportunity to try to work with him.”
Why wouldn’t those workout sessions happen? Would a hectic summer schedule prevent him from connecting with James?
“It’s not up to me. It’s up to LeBron,” the 21-year-old responded. “I think LeBron has 150 times more things to do than me over the summer. If he has time, I’ll definitely have the time.”
LeBron has worked out with other players in the past (sup, Kevin Durant?), but he and Antetokounmpo could have issues syncing up over the summer. LeBron is probably going to play for Team USA at the Olympics, and from there, it’s unclear whether his “open-door policy” truly applies to nurturing young talent on a rival team.
Unless Antetokounmpo is hell-bent on developing a post game or beefing up his upper body, it’s also unclear if LeBron is the right workout buddy for him. He is no doubt still raw, but his jump shots remains the biggest on-court area of need. And LeBron, for his part, may need to see a shooting coaching this summer. His three-point efficiency has plummeted, and he’s shooting just 35.7 percent between three feet and 10 feet of the basket, the second-lowest mark of his career, according to Basketball-Reference.
Of course, if the King comes calling, he can only help Antetokounmpo.
Here, then, is to hoping LeBron and Giannis become the type of friends that make Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade all super jealous.
