This, I think, remains my favorite tweet ever about Giannis Antetokounmpo:
Giannis is throwing out challenges to 'Melo all over the place. Legit rash talking with him. Never seen him so intense.
— Jeremy Schmidt (@Bucksketball) December 19, 2013
It captures all the stuff that made us such immediate and committed fans of this complete unknown hailing from a sparsely-populated Greek high school gym. That game was just the 20th of his career, and he was taking it to an NBA superstar. Carmelo and the Knicks got the best of Milwaukee that game (Melo finished with 29 points but shot just 31% from the floor), but it was clear that Giannis was not going to be intimidated by the bright lights and big cities of the world's top professional basketball league.
I'd say that version of Giannis remains a top-five viewing experience in all the NBA. When that tornado of arms and legs hones in on a single target, there's gonna be a few highlights. But Angry Giannis doesn't just provide entertainment value--it bears constant repeating that Giannis has the highest True Shooting percentage (57.3) but the lowest FGA/36 minutes (12.5) of the Bucks' regular starters. The Bucks are at their best when they play with attitude, and nobody brings that edge better than Giannis.
That's why I'm hoping 2016 is the year Angry Giannis makes his triumphant return, and for good. I want to see that ferocious, driven, brash young player out on the court every night. I want him to make demands. I want him to tell people off. I want him to finally make Frank's dream come true and literally punt a ball into the stands, consequences be damned. I want more of this:
Happy New Year, y'all. Long Live Angry Giannis.