In 2020, he was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY), anchoring the Milwaukee Bucks’ league-leading defence. However, recent discussions among fans and analysts suggest his defensive prowess may have waned. So let’s take it from the start of the downfall:
The Peak: Giannis’ 2019-20 Defensive Dominance
In the 2019-20 season, Giannis was a defensive juggernaut, earning the DPOY award and a spot on the All-Defensive First Team. Let’s establish his baseline with key metrics from that season, sourced from Basketball-Reference, NBA.com, and ESPN:
- Defensive Rating (DRtg): 96.5, the lowest among players with at least 15 minutes per game, per Second Spectrum data.
- Defensive Box Plus/Minus (DBPM): 3.2, leading the league, indicating an elite defensive impact.
- Opponent Field Goal Percentage (Opp FG%): Held opponents to 36.3% shooting as the closest defender (minimum 525 attempts), the lowest in the NBA since Second Spectrum began tracking in 2013-14. At the rim, opponents shot just 41.8%.
- Steals and Blocks: Averaged 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game, contributing to his reputation as a versatile defender capable of guarding all five positions.
- Defensive Rebounds: Led the NBA with 11.5 defensive rebounds per game, highlighted by nine games with 15+ defensive rebounds.
- Team Defense: The Bucks led the league with a defensive rating of 101.3 and allowed an NBA-low 41.3% field goal percentage. Giannis’ on-court presence reduced points allowed by eight per 100 possessions compared to when he was off the court.
This season cemented Giannis as a “free safety” defender, disrupting plays with his length and mobility, excelling in rim protection, and anchoring the NBA’s best defense.
The Decline: Evidence from 2020-25
Since 2020, several metrics and qualitative factors suggest Giannis’ defensive performance has slipped. Below, we analyze key indicators across the 2020-21 to 2024-25 seasons, drawing from Basketball-Reference, ESPN, NBA.com, and other sources like Reddit discussions and Basketball Index.
1. Defensive Rating (DRtg)
Giannis’ DRtg has worsened significantly since 2019-20:
- 2019-20: 96.5 (league-leading)
- 2020-21: 104.1
- 2021-22: 106.8
- 2022-23: 109.4
- 2023-24: 110.2
- 2024-25: 110.0
A DRtg increase from 96.5 to 110 indicates that the Bucks allow 13.5 more points per 100 possessions with Giannis on the court compared to his DPOY year. Giannis’ individual DRtg decline is notable. The chart here on the right shows that this decline is also pronounced in the playoffs.
2. Defensive Box Plus/Minus (DBPM)
DBPM reflects a player’s defensive contribution relative to the league average:
The consistent downward trend in DBPM shows Giannis’ defensive impact is no longer elite.
3. Opponent Field Goal Percentage (Opp FG%)
Giannis’ ability to contest shots has also declined:
This suggests Giannis is not as effective particularly in rim protection and one-on-one match ups. His mind is too focused on getting his stat padding done, points, assists, rebounds are all he cares about because that is what most of you talk about.
4. Steals
Traditional hustle stats provide insight into defensive activity:
- 2020-21: 1.2 steals
- 2021-22: 1.1 steals
- 2022-23: 0.8 steals
- 2023-24: 1.1 steals
- 2024-25: 0.9 steals
Steals have trended slightly downward (from 1.2 to 0.9) indicating reduced perimeter disruption.
5. All-Defensive Team Selections
Giannis was a lock for All-Defensive First Team from 2019 to 2021. However:
- 2022-23: All-Defensive Second Team
- 2023-24: All-Defensive Second Team
- 2024-25: Not selected for either All-Defensive Team, with players like Dyson Daniels and Evan Mobley taking precedence.
This drop from perennial First Team to no selection in 2024-25 reflects a decline in perceived defensive impact among voters.
So yes, he is worse at everything
The data paints a clear picture: Giannis Antetokounmpo’s defensive performance has declined steadily since his 2020 DPOY season. His DRtg has risen from 96.5 to 110, DBPM has dropped from 3.2 to 1.9, and Opp FG% has increased from 36.3% to 42.4%. The absence of All-Defensive Team honours in 2024-25, combined with a slight dip in steals and a team defensive decline, supports the argument that his defence has slipped. And don’t even start talking about his rebounding numbers! Those are mainly stat padding easy defensive ones because everyone clears out of the paint for Giannis to get his numbers. Most importantly Giannis is damaging his team’s defensive efforts by a constant effort to stat pad and get highlight blocks, thus disrupting any advanced defensive plan they had going.
To be clear, Giannis is worse at almost everything as explained in this post. I looked at this past season in particular recently here. At a glance he played less
minutes, attempted more shots, missed more shots, made less 3point shots, made less free throws and less steals.
He also had worse defensive rating, less offensive rebounds, worse efg% and ts% all dropped, despite the fact that he went to the rim more than ever! Quite amazing a feat to fail like that on both ends!
Sources: Basketball-Reference, NBA.com, ESPN, Reddit, Basketball Index
