MILWAUKEE – When it comes to perfect timing, nobody apparently does it better than Kostas Antetokounmpo.
Not only did Kostas receive his first call-up by the Dallas Mavericks from the G-League’s Texas Legends on Friday just before they started a two-game road trip to Indianapolis. But the second leg of the trip included a Monday afternoon game in Milwaukee against the Bucks.
And that game is very much anticipated and has taken on new meaning for Kostas because his mom and younger brother, Alex, lives in Milwaukee. And his older brother, Giannis, is a mega-superstar forward for the Bucks.
So, to say Kostas is like a kid rummaging around in a candy store right now would probably be the understatement of the year.
“I’m pretty excited,” he said. “It’s my first time getting called up and we also got the trip to Milwaukee, so I’ll get to see my family.
“It’s going to be awesome. To see my mom and my brother in the stands, it’s going to be amazing.”
It may be even more amazing for Kostas if he manages to get into the game and play at the same time when Giannis is in the game. Coach Rick Carlisle has already said Kostas will be on the active roster for the first time this season when the Mavs play the Bucks on Monday at 1 p.m..
Thus, the two Antetokounmpo brothers having an opportunity to guard each other is not totally out of the question.
“We’ll see how things go with all of that, but to be in uniform and be on the same floor — even if it’s just in warmups — I’m sure there will be many photographers hovering to get some pics of that, and that’ll be great,” Carlisle said. “And in the game, who knows.
“Maybe there’s a chance to play him. We’ll see.”
Al Whitley, a special assistant to Mavs and Texas Legends proprietor Mark Cuban, discussed the unique opportunity Kostas has during this trip to Milwaukee.
“I can’t speak for him, but just putting myself in his shoes, if I had an older brother in the league it’ll be incredible,” Whitley said. “I know he’s looking forward to it, I know he’s excited to get to Milwaukee and see his brother and his family and it’ll be a special moment for all of them.”
In 27 games with the Legends this season, Kostas is averaging 9.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks while shooting 50.8 percent from the field in 23.9 minutes per contest. The Mavs admit that he’s a work in progress, and they’re absolutely giddy about the progress he’s made lately.
“He’s been playing better of late,” Carlisle said. “The G-League’s a hard league. The travels are challenging, it’s competitive, everybody’s fighting for the same thing, and you get to the point in December and January where you kind of get into the dog days.
“But one of the reasons that he’s up with us right now is that he’s fought through that sort of period. He’s really been busting his butt over the last few weeks, so that’s earned him the opportunity to be with us, so I’m happy for him for that.”
Whitley, who spends an inordinate amount of time his working with the Legends, echoed that sentiment.
“Kostas has been great,” Whitley said. “I think the last couple of weeks he’s really turned the corner in terms of effort level and understanding what it takes to potentially play at the NBA level. He puts the work in every day.”
Kostas led Dominican High School in suburban Milwaukee – Whitefish Bay, WI – to a state championship, and then played one season for the Dayton Flyers before declaring for the NBA Draft. The 6-10, 200-pounder wound up being the 60th and very last pick of last summer’s draft by Philadelphia, and the 76ers subsequently traded his draft rights to the Mavs.
But obviously when Kostas’ name is mentioned, there’s no avoiding also mentioning the name of his older brother, Giannis. One of the leading candidates to win this year’s Most Valuable Player award in the NBA, Giannis is averaging 26.4 points, 12.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.45 blocks as the Bucks own the league’s best record at 33-12.
So, is there any added pressure for Kostas to try and live up to his brother’s very lofty standards?
“I just feel like I just got to get better myself,” Kostas said. “I don’t compare myself to nobody else.
“Every day I go to the gym I just compare myself to either me last year or me a couple of months ago.”
Kostas has a two-way contract with the Mavs, so they can afford to wait and see how his game develops. And they realize if he winds up being anywhere close to where Giannis is talent-wise, that would be a huge game-changer for the Mavs.
“He’s a young kid that’s got a lot of ability,” Carlisle said. “The bloodlines are obviously there because of the success that his older brother has had.
“But it’s a lot of work getting to become your very best, and he’s working at it.”
The Mavs are just hoping that hard work will pay high dividends in the end.
“Obviously, athletically his length and his athleticism stands out the most,” Whitley said. “That’s the biggest similarities that I see right now, and actually I’m just interested in seeing how he comes along.”
For now, Kostas is interesting in seeing and spending some time with his family while also doing the things he needs to do on the court in order to become the apple of the Mavs’ eyes. As far as any particular family plans on the agenda during his stay in Milwaukee, Kostas said there’s nothing really special on tap.
“I talk to all of my family every day,” he said. “Multiple times a day every day. We’re just excited to see each other, to be honest.”
And the photographers will be excited to see the Antetokounmpo brothers, too. Like Carlisle said, they’ll be hovering around to get that special picture on Monday.
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