Photo: Peter Baba

ESPN has ranked Giannis Antetokounmpo as the fifth-best player in the NBA, placing the Miami Heat superstar behind Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic.

The ranking comes after Miami made a major move to acquire Antetokounmpo, giving up a significant package of players and draft assets.

While such a deal could suggest a longer process of building another championship contender, ESPN pointed to the Heat’s recent history as a reason Miami could compete immediately.

“When the Heat traded away a large collection of players and draft assets to bring in Antetokounmpo, the general consensus was that it would take multiple seasons to reopen Miami’s title window. But why not now?

“The Heat made it to at least the conference finals three times in four campaigns from 2020 to 2023 with a team built around Jimmy Butler III and Bam Adebayo, with role players at every other key position.”