Should Bucks be concerned about Giannis

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Should Bucks be concerned about Giannis

Giannis Antetokounmpo decided that it was time to get back to the basics.It's Oct. 26, 2022, and the Nets are in town to face the Bucks. Following a quiet first half that saw him mi s seven of his 10 field goal attempts, six of which came outside the paint, Antetokounmpo made a more concerted effort to play to his strengths.The result? A 34-point second half in which he made almost shot he took.The difference between his shot chart in the first half... (NBA.com) and his shot chart in the second halftells you everything you need to know about what he changed. (NBA.com) Antetokounmpo Jake Browning Jersey 's performance was a reminder of two things.One, how he operates at a different level from almost everyone else in the league, so unguardable that he can use the first half of a regular season game against a title contender yes, ! as his own personal playground.And two, how much of a work in progre s his jump shot continues to be. Antetokounmpo has never been known for his jump shot, but he has quietly improved from midrange since entering the NBA. The Bucks don't win the 2021 NBA Finals if he doesn't make enough floaters and hook shots to keep the Suns honest, and his fadeaway out of the post started to last season.Antetokounmpo's hasn't changed much, but his has. He's gone from connecting on of his midrange attempts last season to so far this season.It's been even more of a struggle from floater range, from down all the way to .The development of Giannis Antetokounmpo's jump shotSeasonMidrangeFloater40-116 (34.5%)62-161 (38.5%)45-116 (38.8%)68-178 (38.2%)51-143 (35. Evan McPherson Jersey 7%)73-197 (37.1%)85-205 (41.5%)89-218 (40.8%)41-117(35.0%)20-103(19.4%)Those areas are more important for Antetokounmpo than the 3-point line. Why? Because they're his best answer to consistently beating the wall he's grown so accustomed to seeing.One team in particular that has defended Antetokounmpo well this season is the Hawks. He's still averaging against them through three games another reminder that his "bad" is pretty much everyone else's incredible but the Hawks have limited him to an uncharacteristic 44.4 percent shooting from the field.The Hawks have three players who match up well with Antetokounmpo physically in Clint Capela, Onyeka Joe Burrow T Shirts Okongwu and John Collins. While nobody is going to anoint them "Giannis Stoppers," they're smart defenders who are strong enough to make him work and long enough to bother him as much as anyone po sibly can. (For what it's worth, even Antetokounmpo how well each one of them defends him.)With the right amount of help around them, they were able to bait Antetokounmpo into taking shots like this:And this:And this:Again, Antetokounmpo has shown that he can make each , but they're not falling at quite the same rate this season as the last few seasons.It doesn't help that Antetokounmpo hasn't been as sharp from the free-throw line. He's getting there at ,but Tyler Boyd Jersey he's connected on only 65.7 percent of his freebies, the second-lowest mark of his career.It goes without saying, but there really isn't an answer for Antetokounmpo when he's hitting jumpers knocking down free throws.MORE: Milwaukee is back to being dominant defensively. It's the offense that's currently lagging behind. , the Bucks are averaging 94.1 points per 100 po se sions in the halfcourt. Not only does that rank them 23rd out of 30 teams, but it's the team's lowest mark since the 2016-17 season when Jason Kidd was still calling the shots.Antetokounmpo's regre sion as a shooter isn't the only reason that number is as low as it is, of course. Jrue Holiday, who leads the Bucks in a sists (7.1) and is second to Antetokounmpo Cincinnati Bengals Hoodies Sweatshirts in scoring (18.1), has been limited to 29 of 40 games. (Look no further than if you need a reminder of his value.)Khris Middleton, who is the second-best playmaker on the team, has only played in seven games. And he hasn't looked like himself when he has been available.The Bucks have also struggled as a team from 3-point range. They finished fifth in each of the last two seasons in 3-point percentage. This season, . That impacts Antetokounmpo more than anyone else on the roster because he is such a dominant paint scorer.It'll be interesting to see how much falls into place when the Bucks are at full strength again.
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