Unpopular Opinions: Back At It Again

It’s that time again! You ready to be mad enough to throw the remote? Well, you have tuned into the right article. Let’s dive into it!

 

“Giannis Antetokounmpo Is Overrated.” -Mike Patton

Yes, I said it. You may ask how a former NBA MVP can be overrated but let me ask you this: have you watched Antetokounmpo play? He can do some amazing things on the court and that cannot be denied but he is a guy that can be stopped. The Raptors showed the world that when they packed the paint and made The Greek Freak do different things he was not comfortable with.

That resulted in him shooting some interesting jump shots that did not look so good coming off his hands and him being somewhat tentative at times in the playoffs. Until he rounds his game out some more, he will continue to be overrated even if he wins another MVP. The fact remains that even though he puts up phenomenal numbers (he averaged 29.5 points, 13.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists), his Achilles’ heel will always be his game outside the paint. He is essentially a dribbling, slimmed-down version of Shaq.

 

“LeBron James Should Be Mentioned As A Top 10 All-Time Point Guard.” -Courtlandt Griffin

Not many players in the NBA have put together a resume like LeBron James. His 27 points per game, seven rebounds and seven assists for his career is astonishing to say the least and has solidified him as one of the best players to ever do it.

We already consider James to be the best small forward in NBA history. His consistent production has earned him that right but what about his ranking at another position?

James is what modern basketball calls a “point forward,” which is a weird designation for forwards that handle the ball as the primary play initiator. But, in his first season as a true point guard he lead the league with 10.2 assists per game and lead the league in true plus-minus at +10.2. Even with just one season as a “point guard” the argument can be made that James has played that position his entire career.

When compared to All-Time great Point Guards, James stacks up very well. His 36.5 assist percentage ranks him higher than Walt Frazier, Bob Cousy, Oscar Robertson and Steph Curry. His 13.1 turnover Percentage rank him higher than the everyone in the Top 10 of point guards except Walt Frazier (12.9%). Mind you, he did this while having a much higher usage rate than all of them.

If the raw numbers aren’t enough, them let’s go with the eye test.

James is 6’9” 250lbs and is a great passer. He is routinely compared to Magic Johnson and for good reason. His ability to throw skips passes cross court while looking off defenders is uncanny. Couple that with his ability to memorize defenses and you get a point guard that is on a whole different level.

This is not to say LeBron James is the best point guard but that he should definitely be mentioned with the Pantheon Greats. If you are making a list don’t pass on James, if you get my point.

 

“Big Ben Doesn’t Make The Steelers A Contender.” – Eric Urbanowicz

Last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers finished at 8-8, their worst record since 2016. A bulk of the excuses that would come out would relate to having to play back up quarterbacks Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges following an injury to starter Ben Roethlisberger in week two.

Heading into this year, Pittsburgh fans are going under the assumption they’re going to be a playoff contender. Even fellow media outlets are predicting them to have playoff caliber season with Roethlisberger looking like his 2017-18 self. But why?

In 2018, he was number one in yards and top five in touchdowns. That’s impressive until you realize he had the most pass attempts that year, with a middle of the pack completion percentage. Before 2019, it didn’t look much better as he barely completed half of his pass attempts.

Coming out of an offseason where he had surgery on his throwing arm, do you really think he’s going to be the same? That’s not even to mention the fact they didn’t do much with their offense.

Signing Tight end Eric EBron was a good start. But halfback James Connor did not impress, wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster did not live up to the hype, even to the point that his fellow wide out James Washington had a better year.

While rookie Chase Claypool is projected to be good, he’s a rookie and will need a year or two to develop. Big Ben doesn’t make this team a playoff contender this year. I’m not even positive they’ll finish in second place.

 

We came, we saw, we gave our unpopular opinions. Which one do you like the best? Or hate the most?