VIDEO: Giannis Antetokounmpo is a real person

DraftExpress: 2012 Scouting Report
Don't know a damn thing about the newest Buck? Then start with DraftExpress' detailed scouting report, which both sheds some much-needed light on Giannis Antetokounmpo's game and underscores just how sketchy his competition has been to date. I swear it looks like he's playing on a nine-foot hoop in some of these grainy highlight videos, which look more like early '90s high school games than the best we have for a first round pick.

Needless to say, Antetokounmpo (whose family name in Nigeria is spelled "Adetokunbo") looks great in many of these highlights, but that's all they are: highlights. The good news is that his uncommon combination of handle, body control and instinctive finishing are readily apparent even against random Greek second division competition. But even against sub-par competition his numbers were rather middling, which combined with his light frame makes me assume that there's little hope that he'll play meaningful minutes next season (and yes, he'll be in Milwaukee). The next year? I don't know. Maybe. Antetokounmpo won't even be able to get into a bar (legally, ahem) until midway through the 2015/2016 season, so don't expect much of anything from him in the short term. Hopefully we'll be pleasantly surprised, but we also have to be realistic--he's in for a huge culture shock off the court as well as on it, so it will likely take him some time to get his bearings.

DraftExpress: Greek U20 National Team vs. Croatia (June 8, 2013)
Antetokounmpo's bizarre passport situation--he only recently acquired Greek citizenship despite being born there --helps explain his late arrival to the international scene, which made his recent outing with the Greek under-20 team all the more anticipated by the roughly 50 NBA scouts in attendance.

Starting at the power forward spot but regularly bringing the ball up the floor, he turned in a solid, albeit unspectacular performance, finishing with 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists by our count while putting many of his strengths and weaknesses on display for those in attendance.

Acting as a facilitator for his team in the half court and making a number of impressive plays in the open floor, Adetokunbo didn't look out of place competing with players one year his senior in most cases, but his lack of experience was evident. He had a number of rebounds ripped away from him, didn't always finish strong around the basket, and airballed a 3-pointer on one occasion--but later smoothly knocked down another. Directing his teammates as Greece ran its sets, Adetokunbo has a unique feel for the game considering his age and athleticism, and is undoubtedly a special talent, but is definitely still in the early stages of his development.

NBA Draft Night: Interview with Craig Sager (June 27, 2013)
This one's pretty funny. Giannis says he doesn't know what NBA scouts saw in him to turn him into a top prospect, and you get the feeling that he really has no idea how all this happened. Drafting European kids with no top-level experience was supposed to be something NBA teams learned their lesson about a decade ago--you know: Darko, Tskita--but here we are. For Bucks fans this should be exciting and scary and completely baffling, and it seems like basically the same for Giannis. He just seems so...innocent. You kinda wonder if he realizes where Milwaukee is, who any of his teammates are, or how much better NBA players are than him right now.

DraftExpress: Interview (February 2013)
Here's a doe-eyed Giannis speaking passable English with Givony about his game, where he plays, who he tries to play like (Magic and Kevin Durant), when he started playing basketball (2008, though DX has reported that his Greek club discovered him in 2003), and what he wants to be when he grows up (an NBA player!).