During the regular season a myth developed that Giannis had somehow started shooting mid range. It was completely inaccurate and I have debunked it with multiple posts. The summary is that he regressed to his usual terrible form and it was only during a stretch of easy games that he shot well from two very specific spots on the floor. As soon as a team stepped up their defence he lost it. Completely.
The Bucks lost to every single top ranked team in the East even during the regular season. In those games Giannis had no mid range. He is a two trick pony and that’s what he turns to quite predictably.
On the left as per the official statistics from nba.com the distances
considered “mid range” broken down for the playoffs. And remember, Giannis only had one series in the first round so if anything, his statistics should look much better than players that played more games further along as the playoffs got more difficult.
5-9feet? Nope. Giannis nowhere to be found. 10-14 ft? Of course not. And what about that one distance he had any success in the easier games in the regular season? 15-19ft. Surely, Giannis must have shot at least something from that distance?
Not even that. When under pressure Giannis can only do one thing. Go to the rim. And it doesn’t really work when he doesn’t get a foul and/or he then missed the free throws.
And of course the closer we get to the 3point line, the worse Giannis is. So no, Giannis has no mid range. Not when it counts. If anything he is getting worse at 3point percentage (worse ever almost in a single season) and free throws.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks’ superstar and two-time NBA MVP, is known for his athleticism and rim-rattling dunks. However, a recent $100,000 MrBeast shooting challenge pitted him against street ball sensation and YouTube star Tristan Jass, and the results were shocking. The challenge highlighted critical weaknesses in Giannis’ game that have long been debated by fans and analysts.
The Challenge Setup
The MrBeast challenge was a head-to-head shooting competition designed to test precision under pressure. The tasks included:
Free throws: A test of consistency from the charity stripe.
Three-pointers: A measure of long-range shooting ability.
Half-court shots: A high-risk, high-reward challenge requiring both skill and a bit of luck.
Tristan Jass, a content creator with a massive following for his streetball highlights and deadly shooting, was a formidable opponent. While Giannis is a global basketball icon, Jass’s specialized skill set in shooting made this a tougher matchup than it might have seemed. The $100,000 prize added pressure, and as X user @____Shemar noted, “No way Mr. Beast possibly thought Giannis was making a FT, 3 pointer, and half court shot before Tjass … easiest $100k Tjass ever made 😂”.
1. Free-Throw Shooting Woes
The free-throw portion of the challenge was a predictable stumbling block for Giannis. His career free-throw percentage hovers around 65-70%, with a 2024-25 season average of approximately 68%. In high-pressure situations, his performance at the line often dips further, as seen in playoff games where opponents employ a “Hack-a-Giannis” strategy to exploit this weakness.
In the MrBeast challenge, Giannis struggled to find a rhythm, missing several free throws in a row. His lengthy free-throw routine—often taking 10+ seconds—may have been disrupted by the fast-paced, high-stakes environment of the challenge. Fans remarked on the predictability of this outcome, with @Lester_O3 noting that someone won $100,000 by outshooting Giannis. Jass, known for his consistency in shooting drills, likely capitalised on this, hitting his free throws with ease.
Giannis’ free-throw struggles stem from mechanical issues (a hitch in his release and inconsistent wrist snap) and mental pressure. In the challenge, the added spotlight of a MrBeast production, with cameras and a live audience, likely amplified his tendency to overthink at the line.
Takeaway: Giannis needs to streamline his free-throw routine and practice under pressure to boost his consistency. Hitting 75-80% from the line would not only have helped in this challenge but could deter opponents from fouling him intentionally in NBA games. He is in fact worse than ever in his career in free throws this season!
2. Inconsistent Three-Point Shooting
The three-point shooting segment was another area where Giannis fell short. His NBA three-point percentage in the 2024-25 season is around 20-25% on low volume (1-2 attempts per game), a far cry from Jass’s sharpshooting prowess. Jass, who regularly showcases deep threes and trick shots on YouTube, thrives in these scenarios, while Giannis’ jump shot remains a work in progress.
In the challenge, Giannis reportedly missed most of his three-point attempts, unable to match Jass’s precision. His shooting form—marked by a slow release and occasional inconsistency in footwork—makes long-range shooting a liability. NBA defenses often sag off Giannis, daring him to shoot from deep, as seen in playoff series like the 2023 loss to the Miami Heat, where his 1-for-10 three-point shooting in the series was a glaring weakness.
The MrBeast challenge exposed this gap starkly. While Giannis relies on his athleticism to dominate inside, Jass’s specialized shooting skill set gave him a clear edge in a contest focused on perimeter accuracy.
Takeaway: Giannis would benefit from dedicated three-point training to reach at least a league-average 35% from deep. This would force defenses to respect his range, opening up his drives to the basket and making him a more complete offensive threat. Three points this season he not only shot worse than ever in his career but almost worse than anyone, ever, in NBA history for a single season!
3. Half-Court Shot Struggles
The half-court shot portion of the challenge was the final nail in the coffin. Half-court shots are inherently low-percentage, relying on a mix of skill, luck, and confidence. Jass, with his reputation for hitting long-range bombs in his videos, likely approached this with a shooter’s mentality. Giannis, on the other hand, rarely attempts such shots in NBA games, and his mechanics from that distance are unrefined.
Giannis’ attempts fell short or missed wide, while Jass connected to seal the victory.
Takeaway: While half-court shots are a niche skill, improving his overall shooting mechanics could give Giannis a better chance in such scenarios. Practising long-range shots in low-stakes settings might also build confidence for rare game situations. But if anything Giannis is worse than ever in clutch situations which is why Doc Rivers now keeps him out of the game in the 4th quarter as much as possible. We saw against the Pacers how terrible he can be for his team under pressure.
4. Pressure in Non-NBA Settings
Beyond specific skills, the challenge highlighted Giannis’ discomfort in non-traditional basketball settings. NBA games allow him to leverage his physicality, defensive prowess, and transition dominance, but the MrBeast challenge was a pure shooting contest with no room for his usual strengths. The high-pressure environment, with a $100,000 prize and a YouTube audience, may have thrown Giannis off his game, as he’s accustomed to structured NBA settings rather than impromptu streetball-style competitions.
Jass, a content creator who thrives in these viral, high-energy formats, was in his element. Giannis’ struggles suggest that his mental focus, while elite in NBA contexts, may not translate as well to unconventional challenges where his athletic advantages are neutralized.
Takeaway: Giannis could benefit from participating in more casual, high-pressure shooting contests to build adaptability. This would also help him handle the mental demands of clutch shooting moments in playoff games. Most of all though the NBA is about the show. And Giannis simply doesn’t deliver which is why he doesn’t bring in TV ratings.
What This Means for Giannis
The MrBeast challenge underscores areas where he lags behind specialists like Jass and, by extension, NBA sharpshooters in the league. To elevate his game, Giannis could:
Work with a shooting coach to refine his free-throw and three-point mechanics, aiming for incremental improvements (e.g., 75% free throws, 35% threes).
Practice under pressure in non-NBA settings to build mental resilience for high-stakes shooting.
Study film of sharpshooters to adopt techniques that complement his physical gifts.
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s loss to Tristan Jass in MrBeast’s $100,000 shooting challenge was a revealing moment. It exposed his well-known struggles with free throws, three-point shooting, and long-range accuracy, amplified by the pressure of a viral, high-stakes competition. For fans, the challenge was a fun spectacle that pitted an NBA giant against a street ball sharpshooter. For Giannis, it’s a wake-up call to address weaknesses that could make the difference in future playoff runs. As he continues past his prime now at age 30, the Greek Freak has the work ethic and drive. But can he turn these flaws into strengths? After more than a decade in the league and with so many different coaches that have tried to help him, the answer is probably no.
During the regular season, in a stretch of easy games, the myth emerged that Giannis had “developed a
mid range shot”. Various crazy statistics flew around. Of course as the
season ended he regressed to his normal average. Under pressure Giannis has no mid range, we had already seen it in harder match ups in the regular season.
Here are the official NBA.com statistics from the playoffs. Giannis is nowhere to be seen even in 5-9 feet shooting distance. He is nowhere to be seen in the next mid range distance , 10-14ft. Neither in volume, nor in percentage of successful shots.
Giannis is a one trick pony and always has been, in fact he has regressed in many ways this season.
Oh but wait, what about his favourite mid range shots? He has three very specific places he can make those, when defences don’t run him off them at least. Oh , well done Giannis, you make ONE shot per game from there on average in the playoffs, albeit with one of the lowest percentages among your peers!
And of course 20-24 ft is also a mid range shot, it’s not yet a 3. And of course Giannis never had anything at that distance and he hasn’t even tried in the playoffs. Just for any fools still believing the Giannis mid range myth, here are the NBA leaders today (28/4/2025) as per nba.com for that distance too.
Also, for those of you who only watch highlights and choose to forget the overall picture, here are the detailed shot
charts. For example Game 1 you can see him fail from 3 and score 2 out of 5 from mid range.
And it gets worse of course, here is game 2:
The Regular-Season Hype
His improvement in the regular season hype was attributed to dedicated off season work in Greece, where Giannis trained with a skills coach to refine his jump shot. ESPN detailed how he focused on mid-range shots to reduce physical wear from constant rim attacks, aiming to extend his career. His performance in the 2024 FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament, where he reportedly went 6-for-8 from mid-range against Croatia, further fuelled the narrative. The Bucks’ coaching staff, led by Doc Rivers, emphasised Giannis operating from the elbows, turning him into an “offensive nexus” with a polished jumper.
The regular season provided plenty of highlight-reel moments: a 19-foot pull-up against Aaron Gordon, a fadeaway from the baseline, or a jumper from the nail in clutch situations. These plays led to bold claims that Giannis’ mid-range game was transforming the Bucks into title contenders, making him “unstoppable” by neutralizing defensive walls in the paint. But regular-season stats can be misleading, especially when games against lottery-bound teams or fatigued opponents inflate shooting percentages.
The Playoff Disappearance
When the playoffs roll around, the game changes. Defenses tighten, schemes adjust, and stars face relentless pressure. For Giannis, the mid-range jumper that sparkled in the regular season has consistently dimmed in the postseason. In the 2024-25 playoffs against the Indiana Pacers, Giannis posted gaudy stat lines—37 points, 12 rebounds in Game 3; 34 points, 18 rebounds in Game 2; 36 points, 12 rebounds in Game 1—but a deeper dive reveals a glaring absence of mid-range attempts.
Social media chatter from fans, like a post on X noting Giannis took only one mid-range shot in a playoff game, underscores the trend: when the pressure mounts, Giannis reverts to his bread-and-butter, bullying his way to the rim. Playoff defenses, aware of his dominance in the paint, are content to let him take mid-range shots, knowing his efficiency drops under scrutiny. Unlike the regular season, where he faced softer coverages or mismatched defenders, playoff teams build walls, sag off, and dare him to shoot. The result? Giannis abandons the mid-range, opting for high-percentage drives or free throws.
Historical playoff data supports this. In the 2021 championship run, Giannis leaned heavily on his rim attacks and free throws, with mid-range shots playing a minor role. His iconic 50-point Finals closeout game featured dunks, layups, and 17-of-19 free throws, not pull-up jumpers. Recent playoffs show similar patterns: when defenses lock in, Giannis’ mid-range attempts dwindle, and his shooting percentage from that range plummets compared to the regular season’s 47.8%. The “elite mid-range shooter” narrative crumbles under postseason pressure.
Why the Disconnect?
Several factors explain why Giannis’ mid-range game thrives in the regular season but falters in the playoffs:
Defensive Intensity: Regular-season games often feature inconsistent effort from rebuilding teams or players coasting through the schedule. Playoff defenses, however, are laser-focused, with top-tier rim protectors and help defenders clogging the paint, forcing Giannis to settle for jumpers he’s less comfortable taking under pressure.
Game Planning: Playoff teams scout Giannis meticulously, conceding mid-range shots to keep him away from the rim. A 45% mid-range jumper, while respectable, is far less threatening than his 60%+ efficiency at the basket. Giannis, aware of this, prioritizes drives to maximize efficiency.
Physical Toll: Giannis himself has said mid-range shots reduce wear on his body, a strategy for career longevity. But in the playoffs, where every possession counts, he leans on his physical dominance, absorbing contact to draw fouls or finish through traffic, sidelining the jumper.
Sample Size and Context: Regular-season mid-range stats can be skewed by small sample sizes or favorable matchups. A hot streak against teams like the Wizards or Pistons doesn’t translate to success against playoff-caliber defenses like Miami or Boston.
The Myth’s Impact
The overhyping of Giannis’ mid-range game creates unrealistic expectations. Fans and analysts touting his “evolution” overlook how his dominance has always stemmed from paint scoring, playmaking, and defense—not jump shooting. The Bucks’ 2021 title didn’t hinge on mid-range mastery; it came from Giannis’ relentless rim pressure and clutch free-throw shooting. Projecting him as a Kevin Durant-esque shooter ignores his core strengths and sets a false narrative for playoff success.
So he can’t improve?
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s mid-range improvement is a compelling story, but it’s largely a regular-season phenomenon that fades in the playoffs. The data, from his limited mid-range attempts in high-stakes games to fan observations of his rim-focused approach, paints a clear picture: the jumper is a supplementary tool, not a game-changer. Giannis remains a force of nature, but his path to another title lies in leveraging his athleticism and paint dominance, not in chasing a mid-range mirage. As the Bucks chase playoff glory, it’s time to let the myth of Giannis’ mid-range mastery rest.
(For anyone still wanting to discuss the matter, here is Giannis’ shot chart for Game 4)
The 3-point shot has become the heartbeat of modern NBA basketball, revolutionizing strategy and elevating players like Stephen Curry and Damian Lillard to legendary status. But for every sharpshooter, there’s a player whose struggles from beyond the arc become infamous. Whether due to poor shot selection, lack of range, or just an off year, some NBA seasons stand out for their abysmal 3-point percentages—especially when players take enough shots to make the numbers meaningful.
Defining “The Worst”: Setting the Ground Rules
To fairly assess the worst 3-point shooting seasons, we need a minimum threshold of attempts—otherwise, a player going 0-for-2 could claim the crown, which isn’t insightful. Historically, the NBA uses 82 made 3-pointers as a qualifier for the league lead in 3-point percentage (since 2013-14), but for the “worst” mark, a lower bar like 50 or 100 attempts ensures we’re looking at players who actually tried to shoot from deep, not just took a few errant heaves.
The Historical Bottom Feeders
John Salmons, 2009-10 Season (Chicago Bulls/Milwaukee Bucks) – 18.5% (20-for-108) John Salmons, a solid journeyman wing, had a career defined by versatility rather than shooting prowess. In the 2009-10 season, split between the Bulls and Bucks, he posted one of the lowest 3-point percentages ever for a player with over 100 attempts. At 18.5%, Salmons’ struggles were a mix of poor shot selection and a lack of natural touch from deep. His 108 attempts showed he was given the green light, but the results were disastrous. This mark stands as a benchmark for futility among players with a significant sample size.
DeMar DeRozan, 2018-19 Season (San Antonio Spurs) – 15.6% (7-for-45) DeRozan’s midrange mastery is well-documented, but his 3-point shooting has always been a weak spot. In 2018-19, his first year with the Spurs, he took a career-low 45 attempts from beyond the arc and made just 7, yielding a ghastly 15.6%. While this falls short of a 50-attempt minimum some might prefer, it’s notable for a star player and reflects his reluctance—and inability—to adapt to the 3-point-heavy era under Gregg Popovich’s system.
Josh Smith, 2007-08 Season (Atlanta Hawks) – 25.3% (38-for-150) Josh Smith was an athletic marvel—dunking, blocking shots, and soaring through the lane—but his 3-point shot was a liability. In 2007-08, he jacked up 150 triples and hit just 38, for a 25.3% clip. Smith’s insistence on shooting from deep, despite his clear limitations, made this one of the most inefficient high-volume seasons of its time. His career 28.5% from 3 underscores that this wasn’t a fluke; he just wasn’t built for it.
Antoine Walker, 2000-01 Season (Boston Celtics) – 25.6% (98-for-383) Antoine Walker loved the 3-pointer, perhaps too much. In 2000-01, he launched a staggering 383 attempts—massive volume for that era—and connected on only 98, resulting in a 25.6% success rate. Walker’s shoot-first mentality and willingness to fire away made him a pioneer of sorts, but his inefficiency at that volume lands him on this list. It’s a testament to both his confidence and his struggles adapting to a skill he never fully mastered.
Charles Barkley, 1995-96 Season (Phoenix Suns) – 28.0% (49-for-175) Yes, even Hall of Famers can flounder from deep. Barkley, known for his bruising post play and rebounding, took 175 3-point shots in 1995-96 and made just 49, for a 28.0% mark. While not as low as others percentage-wise, the volume and his reputation as a non-shooter make this season stand out. Barkley’s career 26.6% from 3 shows this was par for the course, but 175 attempts from a power forward in the mid-90s was bold—and often ugly.
Honorable Mentions
Russell Westbrook, 2015-16 Season (Oklahoma City Thunder) – 29.6% (71-for-240): Westbrook’s aggression extended to his 3-point shooting, often to his detriment. This season wasn’t his worst percentage-wise, but the volume and inefficiency foreshadowed his career-long inconsistency from deep (30.5% overall).
Giannis Antetokounmpo, 2015-16 Season (Milwaukee Bucks) – 17.1% (7-for-41): An early-career low point for Giannis, though the small sample size keeps it off the main list. It’s a reminder of how little he has improved, because this season he is heading to a similar percentage!
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 2024-25 Season: A Potential Contender?
Now, let’s turn to the Greek Freak. As of March 29, 2025, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 2024-25 season is shaping up as one of his worst from beyond the arc. Known for his dominance inside and in transition, Giannis has never been a reliable 3-point shooter—his career average sits at 28.6%—but this year, he’s plumbing new depths. Through roughly 60-65 games (assuming he’s played most of the Bucks’ schedule to date), he’s averaging around 1.7 to 2.2 3-point attempts per game, a decrease from his peak volume seasons (e.g., 4.7 attempts in 2022-23).
This dip isn’t entirely surprising. Giannis has trended toward fewer 3s under Doc Rivers, with only about 5-6% of his shots coming from deep this season, down from 13.8% two years ago. The Bucks’ strategy has leaned into his strengths—slashing, posting up, and drawing fouls—rather than forcing an outside game he’s never fully developed. Yet, if he maintains this pace and finishes with, say, 15-for-75 (20%) over 75 games, he’d join the ranks of the worst 3-point seasons for a star player with a decent sample size.
Could Giannis Crack the List?
To land among the all-time worst, Giannis would need to:
Increase his attempts: At his current rate (2 per game), he’d finish with around 150-160 attempts if he plays 80 games. If he stays at 20%, that’s 30-for-150—a mark that rivals Josh Smith’s 25.3% on similar volume.
Sustain the slump: His current 20-22% is bad, but not unprecedented for him (see 2015-16’s 17.1%). However, with more attempts, it could become historically notable.
Right now, he’s on pace to finish below Salmons’ 18.5% if he dips further, though his lower volume (likely under 100 attempts) might keep him off stricter lists. Still, for a two-time MVP and perennial All-NBA talent, a sub-22% season would be a glaring blemish, especially in an era where 3-point shooting is a prerequisite for many stars.
Why Giannis Struggles
Giannis’ 3-point woes stem from his mechanics and shot selection. His form—stiff, deliberate, and often rushed—lacks the fluidity of natural shooters. Defences sag off him, daring him to fire, as if he’s rarely taken enough reps to refine the skill. But we know he has. This season, his focus has shifted even more to the paint, to get easy stat padding buckets and average 30+ points per game. That’s all he seems to care about. 3-point struggles are a footnote and something he does out of frustration that more and more teams know how to shut him down in the paint.
The Verdict
Giannis’ 2024-25 season won’t topple Salmons or DeRozan for sheer futility unless he inexplicably ramps up his attempts and keeps missing. But if he finishes below 20% on, say, 80-100 attempts, he’d carve out a spot among the worst star-player 3-point seasons—think Barkley or early-career Westbrook territory. For now, he’s a cautionary tale of what happens when a superstar neglects the 3-point revolution. It is particularly entertaining when Giannis fans complain about Jokic and other bigs getting the limelight. Jokic is shooting better than ever in his career this year at an impressive 41.2%. Because that is what intelligent players do, they develop their game.
Giannis is regressing. His fans say “who cares?” well come trade time you will see who cares! Especially since his free throws are worse than ever too! It gets to the stage where the coach says “just don’t shoot 3s” and the opposing coaches in clutch say “just foul Giannis, we have an almost 1 in 2 chance he misses!”
There’s a narrative that’s been floating around lately that deserves a hard reality check: the idea that Giannis has a reliable mid-range game, especially when it matters most. Spoiler alert—he doesn’t. What we’ve been sold is a media myth, puffed up during a string of Milwaukee Bucks’ easy wins against overmatched opponents, and it crumbles under scrutiny when the stakes are high.
Above the official nba.com stats of mid range shots this season. In red the players with the best fg%. In green the worse, ie Giannis at any distance. Let’s start with the hype. During the 2020-21 season, when the Bucks marched to the title, Giannis’ mid-range jumper became a talking point. Pundits gushed over his “improved” shot, pointing to regular-season games where he’d knock down a few 15-footers against teams like the Wizards or Pistons—squads that were either tanking or just plain bad. The narrative took off: Giannis had evolved, adding a new weapon to his arsenal. But here’s the inconvenient truth: when the playoffs roll around and defences tighten up, that mid-range game vanishes faster than a mirage in the desert.
Take a look at the 2021 Finals against the Phoenix Suns. Giannis was phenomenal—50 points in the closeout Game 6 is the stuff of legend. But how many of those points came from the mid-range? A grand total of four, all from free throws or broken plays where he muscled his way into a shot. His bread and butter was what it’s always been: attacking the rim, drawing fouls, and living at the line (he shot 17-for-19 in that game). The mid-range? Non-existent when it counted. The Suns dared him to shoot from 10-15 feet, and he largely declined the invitation, opting instead to bulldoze his way inside.
This isn’t a one-off. Fast forward to the 2023 playoffs against the Miami Heat. The Bucks, the No. 1 seed, got bounced in five games by an eighth-seeded Heat team that sagged off Giannis and begged him to shoot. His mid-range attempts were sporadic at best, and when he did take them, the results were ugly—clanging off the rim or airballing entirely. Miami’s defense exposed the truth: Giannis’ mid-range isn’t a weapon; it’s a liability teams are happy to let him test. He finished that series with a measly 38.3% field goal percentage, a far cry from the efficiency he boasts against weaker regular-season foes.
The stats back this up. In the 2022-23 regular season, Giannis shot a respectable 47.3% from mid-range, per NBA.com. Sounds decent, right? Except that number drops precipitously in high-pressure playoff scenarios. Against top-tier defenses, his attempts shrink, and his makes plummet. Why? Because elite teams know he’s not comfortable there. They pack the paint, give him space, and live with the occasional make—because it’s not consistent enough to hurt them. The know the three spots he likes and they make him move off them. And he is so dumb he usually goes to the other side where he almost always misses.
So where did this myth come from? Easy: the Bucks’ regular-season cakewalks. When you’re blowing out the Hornets by 30, Giannis can take his time, set his feet, and splash a couple of jumpers. The media eats it up, clips go viral, and suddenly he’s “unstoppable from anywhere.” But against real competition—teams with playoff-level schemes and discipline—that shot disappears. It’s not a coincidence; it’s a pattern.
The table above is the total mid range shots this season. Again in red the best (ie Kevin Durant) and in green the worse, Giannis pretty near the worse for most distances. But more importantly, let’s count how many points that is. 0.6 from 5-9ft. 0.7 from 10-14ft. 1.5 at his favourite distance. And 0.1 further out. That is a grand total of 2.9 per game. To anyone that understands basketball that is essentially nothing. That has no impact. And it falls to 2.5 per game in losses. Oh you want his best year? Sure, here is the Bucks championship run year stats for shooting during the playoffs:
Giannis is a superstar, no question. But let’s stop pretending he’s morphed into Kevin Durant or Chris Paul from the elbow. The mid-range game is a nice story, a feel-good arc for a player who’s already great. But when the chips are down, it’s nowhere to be found. The Bucks’ title run wasn’t built on Giannis pulling up from 15 feet—it was built on him bulldozing through defences and the supporting cast stepping up to shoot the lights out. The sooner we ditch this media-spun fairy tale, the sooner we can appreciate Giannis for what he truly is a run and dunk guy with less and less applicability to the modern NBA when it counts.
In short, no he wont. Here is more of a decade of data, his free throw percentage is actually getting worse.
Let’s think about this. There have been plenty bigs in the NBA that had trouble from the line. They usually were at a stable percentage or even got slightly better with time. Giannis is getting worse! This is extra impressive given that he shoots more than anyone in the league, every season Giannis is the worse. He misses the most.
Everybody knows Giannis tries hard. In eleven years in the NBA you pretty much know that multiple trainers, coaches and experts have been called in. Yet he is getting worse. Why? Here are potential reasons:
Wrong training regime. Not talking about free throw training, I mean Giannis is in the weights room focusing on brute strength. Because that is what you all cheer him on for. That is what gets him in the photos after the game. But that is not basketball, a game of finesse and balance.
Terrible shooting technique in general. Giannis started playing ball at a later age. Most of the things he does are not as fluent as other players that started younger. And he clearly lacks the body intelligence to adapt quickly to the necessary changes in small movements and muscle memory.
His hands are too big. This is actually a thing. Everyone admires his wingspan and enormous fingers. Great for palming the ball (in fact Giannis is high up in palming violations too) but not so great for a stable free throw.
Lack of social intelligence. In fact he brags about how he avoids training with other NBA super stars in the summer. As if it is a clever thing to do. But at the top level, they are the only ones that can make you better. Giannis obviously doesn’t know how to change up his personal development methods.
A great example is the whole thing with the ten second rule. Giannis is in clear violation of the rule very often. He ruins the flow of the game for everyone, he ruins the already low Bucks TV ratings, it is awkward and messy. So why has he never thought of shooting the damn ball faster when at the free throw?
Usually because he is exhausted! He has usually waited around the paint to get the easy defensive rebound. His team mates have cleared out to let him have it for his stat padding. Then he will run the floor. This – as anyone who has played ball knows – takes energy. When you have the ball you have to be ready to fend off opponents trying to get to the ball. Because Giannis has no dribbling skills he counters this by running fast. So he has made an explosion of energy to get down the court, then often got caught up in traffic, now stuck in traffic. Which is an even more tiring high stress situation for any player. So if he gets to the free throw it is because he found some more energy to push his way to the rim. Of course he needs ten seconds to recover!
So this season so far, in the Bucks easier half of the games, Giannis has already missed almost three times more free throws than anyone else. That is 1700 seconds of wasted TV time, boring down time hurting the TV ratings and making the game worse.
More than a decade in the NBA and shooting worse than ever. Giannis, whatever you are doing, it ain’t working and it won’t work. You are not the worse in NBA history (yet) but you are fast coming up to be the worse in NBA history that has shot so many. And despite what some fans think, a solo run to the rim that ends up in a foul when you miss the free throws is a very, very bad play for your team.
Giannis in the paint is legendary, right? He sure takes more than anyone else in the ‘less than 5ft’ charts. There he is , first in most field goals made at less than 5ft by an enormous margin, he takes almost double the shots of anyone else in the league. 13.2 attempted, 9.4 made. If you think about it from the analytics perspective it is often a wasted effort, particularly since he misses the free throws earned like this so much. (Part 1 of this analysis here.)
In red players more efficient than him. Yeah, yeah, no big thing, right? Let’s look at the next distance, as per nba. com categories of distances. This is a ‘mid range’ shot. Right, right, Giannis has no floater….and no sky hook. Oh and he is also nowhere in the top 20:
Well let’s move out a bit more then. A very mid range shot 10-14 feet from the rim. No Giannis again.
Oh but here we are! 15-19 feet distance. Of all the ‘mid range’ distances we could be talking about, for some reason Giannis media hype just look at this. OK, let’s look, yep, he is 2nd in most made. At pretty mediocre efficiency though. In red all the players above him at the top for this season so far.
And in green above his total. A pathetic 1.6 shots. That’s 3.2 points per game. Is that worth all the fuss? Hell no, especially since as I explained here, Giannis forgets his mid range against harder defences or in the playoffs. Remember we are sorting by field goals made at that distance in order for Giannis to be No2 in the rankings. If we sort by field goal percentage at that same distance he is waaaaay down somewhere in the third page of results.
And of course he is non existent in the next mid range distance, 20-24 feet.
Giannis is also one of the worse 3point shooters in the history of the NBA (more on that here), so let’s not even go there. So where did this myth come from? Nba. com has a ‘mid range’ category elsewhere but doesn’t say what exactly they are measuring, let’s take a look.
In red all the players with high field goals made numbers with better FG% than Giannis. Almost everybody. And remember, this is Giannis in the easy first half of the season, Bucks now have the 4th hardest schedule left in their season, so expect Giannis to fall to stats similar to last year. Which is nowhere near an ‘impressive’ mid range.
