POSTGAMEEVAL

Bucks-Grizzlies 2/2/25 Giannis eval

Some things stand out from his box score

For starters he finally made 3s! Even though he is fast heading for the worse 3pt% of his career and possibly in NBA history, tonight he made 2 out of 3 which is highly unusual. Even when not guarded, which he isn’t.

0/6 free throws is terrible even by Giannis standards. We know he can’t shoot and I think he will never learn how to shoot. (More about Giannis’ free throw issues here.) But look at this:

Not even mine that image is from a Bucks’ fan page (not mentioning author name in case he doesn’t want me to but you can follow the link and join the group to thank him.) And it beautifully illustrates just how low Giannis’ basketball IQ is. Either that or all he cares about is getting the scoring record. He clearly doesn’t care about getting his team mates involved. And he obviously understand that it simply doesn’t work. All too often he gets tangled and misses and even more often he gets fouled and misses the free throws. And even though it clearly doesn’t work, he keeps doing it. It’s not because the coaching staff don’t see the problem. It is because Giannis can’t adapt, he simply can’t do anything else, he lacks the skills and mental acumen on the court to even understand more advanced systems and plays. This is why he will never go to the Golden State Warriors.

This is not a shot chart to be proud of and it is typical. Last game against the Spurs, similar, just without the 3s.

That includes the freak one legged fall back. It’s almost as if Giannis is happy to keep doing the same thing. That doesn’t work. That doesn’t get anyone else involved. That doesn’t help the Bucks win. Here is how much he held the ball:

Some fans complain that the coach keeps him out at the start of the last quarter. It is actually the correct call. Giannis is terrible in clutch situations. But more importantly for him right now, garbage time is a great opportunity to get some easier buckets as he chases the scoring record which seems to be all he cares about this season. Or all he can actually achieve.