Giannis Tops Jokić, Luka as No. 1 NBA Star to Build Team from Scratch in Player Poll

NBA players have some pretty high praise for Giannis Antetokounmpo.

In The Athletic's 2023 anonymous player poll, the Milwaukee Bucks star topped Nikola Jokić and Luka Dončić as the No. 1 player to build a team around.

Antetokounmpo received 52.4 percent of the vote, while Jokić received 8.7 percent and Dončić received 6.3 percent. One hundred and four votes were placed.

"He looks like he has no signs of slowing down," a player said of Antetokounmpo. "He's been dominating the NBA for so long. He's so serious about his craft and his work ethic. He's going to be great for at least another eight or nine years. That makes for a good, long run."

Antetokounmpo had the best statistical season of his career in 2022-23, averaging 31.1 points, 11.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists in 63 games while shooting 55.3 percent from the floor and 27.5 percent from deep.

The 28-year-old, two-time MVP led the Bucks to the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference this year with a 58-24 record and is their key to a deep playoff run.

The Bucks opened up their first-round matchup against the Miami Heat with a 130-117 loss in Game 1 on Sunday. Milwaukee's struggles in that game were largely attributed to the loss of Antetokounmpo, who exited in the second quarter with a back injury and did not return.

The Bucks are optimistic Antetokounmpo will be able to play Game 2 on Wednesday, but there has been no official update on his status.