Milwaukee Bucks: 5 goals for Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2017-18
5. Develop his 3-point shot
For a player with so many strengths, Giannis Antetokounmpo has one glaring weakness. With other elite forwards in the league draining shots from long range and the league increasingly emphasizing the 3-pointer, Antetokounmpo is a minus from beyond the arc.
Last season he attempted a career-high 180 3-pointers (2.3 per game), but made just 49 of them — a 27.2 percent average. Among players with at least 180 attempts, that percentage ranked 154th out of 155 eligible players. Only Andre Roberson of the Oklahoma City Thunder shot worse.
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This is the greatest uncharted territory for his career. A long-armed athletic marvel who can dunk from anywhere in the paint, Antetokounmpo’s impact outside the paint is muted. His shooting highlights include positives, such as a last-second game-winner over Carmelo Anthony, but they’re just as likely to be bitter misses as his shot, and the team, falls short.
An Antetokounmpo who is hitting long range shots at an average clip suddenly unlocks the entire offense for Milwaukee. Defenders cannot sag off of him, and that opens up cutting lanes for teammates. When he passes the ball off to Khris Middleton or Jabari Parker, the man guarding him has to stay glued or risk an open look.
Going from 27 percent to 40+ is unrealistic, but getting to 34 percent is both reasonable and deadly. The league’s fastest-growing player has one key area of growth remaining, and if he solves that issue he suddenly becomes even greater than he is now. That’s a scary proposition for the rest of the league.