Anyway you look at this shot chart it is truly pathetic:
Giannis missed open lay ups against a team that had nobody to guard him. He was playing on his own most of the time and still missed them. And what about this famous mid range? Even with no defence
he got nothing. Don’t even start me with the three points. Sure, you have to keep trying and an easy game like this may be a good opportunity but this is simply ludicrous.
Somehow everyone still treats him like the hero though!
His box score isn’t really much better. 50% field goal percentage, 0% from three and his usual terrible free throw shooting.
And people still chant MVP???? As usual he had the ball in his hand more than anyone despite not playing more minutes. This is terrible any way you slice it yet Bucks’ fans are ecstatic.
Giannis finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists, shooting 9-of-18 from the field in 33 minutes. On the surface, those numbers scream dominance, but dig deeper, and the cracks show. His scoring output, while solid, was inefficient for a player of his caliber against a Hawks defense that ranks among the league’s worst, allowing 119.6 points per game. Going 9-for-18—barely over 50%—is underwhelming when you consider Giannis’s season field goal percentage hovers around 60.5%. Against a team struggling to stop anyone in the paint, he should’ve been feasting, not settling for a pedestrian 52.9% shooting night. He left points on the table, and for a Bucks squad aiming to assert dominance in the East, that’s a red flag.
Then there’s the rebounding. Τhe Bucks got crushed on the glass early, especially in the second quarter when Atlanta flipped a deficit into a lead with a 17-9 run fueled by second-chance opportunities. Giannis, with his size and athleticism, should’ve owned the boards against a Hawks frontcourt missing key pieces like Jalen Johnson and Clint Capela. Instead, he let Brook Lopez (13 rebounds) carry the load, which is fine for team ball but exposes a lack of assertiveness from the superstar in a game where Milwaukee’s interior presence should’ve been overwhelming.
The Bucks’ offense stalled late, tied at 121 with just over a minute left, and Giannis’s decision-making faltered. He had a dunk attempt blocked by Atlanta’s Garrison Gueye, leading to a Caris LeVert three that knotted the score. That’s not just a defensive miscue by the Hawks—it’s a failure by Giannis to finish strong or adjust to the help defense. A player of his experience should’ve either powered through or kicked it out to an open shooter like Damian Lillard (23 points) instead of forcing a play that got stuffed. The Bucks won thanks to clutch plays from Lopez and Lillard, not because Giannis took control when it mattered most.
Defensively, Giannis was solid but not suffocating. Trae Young dropped 28 points and 13 assists, carving up Milwaukee’s defense with ease at times. Giannis, often touted as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, didn’t disrupt Young enough to throw Atlanta’s offense off track. The Hawks shot 48.9% from the field and stayed in the game far longer than they should’ve against a Bucks team with a top-tier defensive rating. Giannis’s presence in the paint deterred some drives, but his impact felt muted against a guard-heavy attack that he’s capable of shutting down when fully locked in.
Finally, the minutes restriction—capped at around 32-33 minutes due to a lingering calf strain—might explain some of this, but it doesn’t excuse it entirely. If Giannis is on the floor, he’s expected to dominate, not coast. The Bucks needed this win to stay sharp in a tight Eastern Conference race, and while they got it, Giannis’s performance was more workmanlike than transcendent. Against a depleted Hawks team on the second night of a back-to-back, this should’ve been a blowout, not a four-point squeaker. Giannis got the stat line, but he didn’t impose his will the way a two-time MVP should, leaving fans and analysts alike wondering why he didn’t bury Atlanta when he had the chance.
