Milwaukee Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo should stop taking 3-pointers

How 2004 MVP Kevin Garnett compares to Giannis Antetokounmpo

Before Giannis Antetokounmpo took a rebound “coast to coast” for a dunk, Kevin Garnett was doing the same thing for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

While Giannis’ scoring numbers may be more eye-popping than Garnett’s, those who saw the “Big Ticket” in his prime will agree in unison that he was the better player. That’s not a knock on the Greek Freak, but at a time when the power forward position was loaded with players like Tim Duncan, Chris Webber and Rasheed Wallace to name a few, Garnett was arguably the best to do it.

In 2004, Garnett’s lone MVP season, he attempted 43 3-point shots, 11 of which he converted. That 25.6 percent mark is close to the 28.9 percent Giannis is shooting this season. The difference is Garnett’s 43 attempts came over the course of 82 games, while Giannis has attempted 171 3-pointers in 45 appearances this season. Giannis is on pace to take more than 5 times the amount of 3-pointers Garnett did, while not shooting them at a high enough percentage to justify the volume.

The first thing that casual observers will point out is that the era in which Giannis is playing lends itself to more shot attempts, especially more shots from beyond the arc. While that may be true, a 500 percent mark-up is not in step with the increased volume of today’s league versus Garnett’s era. Coach Flip Saunders allowed the Big Ticket to influence the game from the spots in which he operated best. Coach Budenholzer should advise Giannis to do the same.