Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is in the hot seat, and it’s arguably hotter than it has ever been.

After a dominating regular season and opening playoff round, Antetokounmpo and the Bucks have found themselves suddenly reeling. Following Thursday’s cardiac 116-114 loss, they sunk into an 0-2 hole against the Miami Heat in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference Semifinals series.

As always, fans and analysts alike are quick to take shots on whoever’s losing, and Giannis won’t be an exception. Some are already sure about him leaving Milwaukee, while others are questioning his place among today’s elite players.

Retired NBA veteran-turned-analyst Richard Jefferson is among the guys in that list as he dished out a steamy take via Twitter:

On the surface, yes, there’s definitely nothing wrong about being compared to Scottie Pippen. The man is a six-time NBA champion, Hall-of-Famer, and recognized by the NBA as one of its 50 greatest players of all-time. He might even be the best wing defender in history, too.

As we all know, though, “Pippen” has a deeper meaning. Since Scottie is most notable for being Michael Jordan’s sidekick, “Pippen” has become an idiom for a great player who’s not really capable of being THE GUY, and should therefore be a number two.

So, is RJ right? Let’s make an argument for both sides.

While it is definitely harsh for Giannis, it didn’t come out of nowhere. He’s been the most imposing player over the last three seasons, both in numbers and play, as evident in being the reigning Most Valuable Player and the newly-crowned Defensive Player of the Year – he’s likely to take home the MVP this year again.

Yet, he’s back to looking lost – or…you know…being a deer in the headlights (sorry, I couldn’t help it). It’s just like the Eastern Conference Finals against the Toronto Raptors last season, where they lost four straight games after leading 2-0.

Many are pointing out the “wall defense” as a good way to contain Giannis and expose that he isn’t exactly capable of much aside from barrelling through defenders. Both the Raptors and Heat have used it well.

Then again, all that can easily be just a rush to judgment. Let’s not forget that Giannis is only 25 years old and just entering his prime. He rose from a skinny, virtually unknown prospect from Greece to a superstar MVP and DPOY on a 60-win team. I’m going to assume he’s very capable of expanding his dribbling and post moves.

We can also say that he simply got dealt with bad match-ups. The Raptors and Heat are good defensive teams with a deep roster, thus having the ability to continuously force him into tough looks. Heck, the Raptors slowed down the Golden State Warriors the finals – arguably the most explosive and efficient offensive squad in NBA history.

Whichever side you’re on, though, RJ started something entertaining. Check out Pippen’s clap back:

RJ has diffused the situation and called himself “Jason Caffey,” who was one of Jordan and Pippen’s bench guys with the Chicago Bulls.

One of RJ’s co-analyst on ESPN, however, Jay Williams, agreed with his take on Giannis, and likened it to LeBron James. Williams claimed that James was initially a “Pippen” to Dwyane Wade in the duo’s Miami Heat days before breaking out a championship leader.

LeBron, who would rarely respond to such things, tweeted at Williams:

Williams replied to quash what could have become a Twitter beef: