Watch the Charlotte Hornets face the Milwaukee Bucks in Paris on Friday at 8pm on a free live stream on skysports.com, Sky Sports app and Sky Sports' YouTube channel
Thursday 23 January 2020 07:06, UK
Last season's NBA Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo is very much the star attraction at this week's NBA Paris game - and Charlotte center Bismack Biyombo says he is the perfect inspiration for the Hornets.
Charlotte comes into Friday's game against Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks – which you can watch live on Sky Sports and on a free live stream – on a seven-game skid and the franchise has not made the playoffs in the last three seasons.
The departure of star man Kemba Walker in the summer in free agency just served to further emphasise this is an organisation in need of a sprinkling of stardust to get back to relevance.
But in the NBA, hard work and a proper culture and desire to improve can count for a lot.
Biyombo points to the star man on the league's best team as evidence of the tangible benefit a proper work ethic can yield.
Antetokounmpo came into the league a raw sprawl of limbs with plenty of flaws in his game. It's why he did not go any higher than 15th in the 2013 NBA draft.
There was a ceiling of course, but the Greek Freak has probably smashed all expectations and it's because he has continued to prove his game year on year.
First he incorporated the rudiments of playing on an NBA floor. Then he improved on his passing, rebounding and mid-range shooting.
As he did that, he also slowly began adding to his frame on the way to becoming the muscular colossus you see today.
The latest development in his game has seen him begin to shoot the three-point shot with a bit more confidence, although he's still below average – but if, and when, he becomes even a semi-consistent threat from outside Antetokounmpo will become essentially unguardable, as he already is almost impossible to defend when driving at the rim.
Of course, the raw ingredients have to be there but, for Biyombo, the desire to constantly improve is what has driven Giannis to the top of the game.
"For us, it's a challenge," said Biyombo. "To be the team that we want to become, we always need to challenge the greatest.
"He has turned into the MVP which is something that we need to encourage because it shows that with hard work you can achieve great things.
"Truth is, he's working hard to get to the level he's at today and I think that he still has a lot to show. Milwaukee is a very good team, a great challenge for us."
The Bucks come into the game having won seven in a row, the same number as the Hornets have currently lost on the spin, as they continue to have the NBA's rest record (39-6) and Biyombo appreciates you cannot elevate to those heights in the league if you are a one-man band.
"Giannis is a very good player and the most important is that his team is delivering great performances," Biyombo said.
"Looking at this season for Milwaukee everybody agrees that they'll be in the final. We know that when Giannis plays, he's playing to help his team to be in the best condition to perform."
The Congolese center, who enjoyed the experience of playing on his own continent in the NBA Africa game in August 2018, knows how important trips such as the one to Paris are for the global expansion of the sport.
Biyombo said: "I think the game in Paris is a great opportunity considering it's the first NBA game in Paris, and so it allows us to be closer to our fanbase in Europe.
"This game is a great opportunity for the global expansion of the NBA. It's also a great opportunity for the players to perform in Paris. We're going to have a great time and offer an awesome show for all our European fans."
Watch the Milwaukee Bucks take on the Charlotte Hornets in Paris on Friday at 8pm for free via a live stream on skysports.com, Sky Sports app and the Sky Sports YouTube channel.
