Beyond the statsheet: Kostas Antetokounmpo making big impact

RIGA (Latvia) – Everyone knows what Giannis Antetokounmpo can do and many have learned to appreciate older brother Thanasis and his great energy.

But it was younger brother Kostas Antetokounmpo who stepped out of his superstar sibling’s shadow and shared the limelight in Greece’s win in the Quarter-Finals.

Kostas played a tournament-high 16 minutes in Greece’s 87-76 victory over Lithuania and earned the praise of his teammates and coach in picking up 4 points and 4 blocks.

“Kostas had a great game. His energy and concentration were at a very, very high level and he really helped us a lot,” said head coach Vasileios Spanoulis, who played the 27-year-old big man 16 minutes. “We know what Kostas can give to the team. And he was really, really important today for our win.”

Antetokounmpo ended up fouling out though he also contributed 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal for an efficiency of 13. His +/- value of 19 was the best on the team, something that impressed Kostas Papanikolaou.

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“Kostas was super amazing, a super key player for us today. Somebody might look at the stat sheet and see he only had 4 points and I would even leave out the blocked shots.

“The way he positioned himself on the court, altered shots because guys had to shoot the ball higher to avoid his blocks and his denies on a couple of defenses on (Lithuania star big man Jonas) Valanciunas gave so much to the team,” Papanikolaou said.

“Those little things meant so much and gave the team confidence. They cannot be measured and they cannot be seen in the stats sheet.”

Kostas Antetokounmpo was also there in the face of Valanciunas after the Lithuanian big man was quite physical and committed a hard foul on Giannis Antetokounmpo on a Greek offensive possession in the second half.

“Kostas is a great player, very athletic. We know how to use him. He made such big plays for us today. We’re happy for him and hopefully he can continue to play like this,” added Dinos Mitoglou.

Guard Vasileios Toliopoulos added: “He had an amazing game. He was rim protecting everything. He dove to the floor and had a great impact on the game.”

Greece are guaranteed two more games – with one victory securing their first podium finish in 16 years and two ending the 20-year wait for title No. 3. And, it’s hard to imagine these are the last big moments we see from Kostas Antetokounmpo.

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