Greek Freak Analyzed

Tag: crunch

  • Where is Giannis mid range? (He never had one)

    Where is Giannis mid range? (He never had one)

    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:

    1. 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.
    2. 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.
    3. 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.
    4. 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)

  • 5 Clutch Situation Scenarios that should scare the Bucks

    5 Clutch Situation Scenarios that should scare the Bucks

    When the game tightens up—when it’s the final minutes, the score’s close, and every possession counts—Giannis’s weaknesses can turn from minor quirks into glaring liabilities. Let me be specific:

    Scenario 1: Down 2, 20 Seconds Left, Ball in Giannis’s Hands

    Picture this: The Bucks are trailing by two points with 20 seconds on the clock. Giannis has the ball at the top of the key, the defence sagging off him, daring him to shoot. His career 28.6% from three-point range isn’t scaring anyone, and his mid range game isn’t a go-to weapon either (he shot 41.7% from 10-16 feet in 2023-24, per NBA.com). The opposing team knows he wants to drive, so they pack the paint, sending a double-team to clog his lane.

    Here’s the problem: Giannis isn’t a natural pull-up shooter or a quick-trigger play maker. He might force a contested layup (where his 50% clutch field goal percentage from last season holds up decently), but if the help defence rotates, he’s left passing late to a teammate with no rhythm—think Brook Lopez bricking a rushed three. Worse, if he gets fouled on the drive, his 70.2% career free-throw clip (and 66.7% in clutch regular-season moments) isn’t a lock. A miss there, and the game’s over. His lack of a jump shot and shaky free throws make this a dicey spot. And all too often he takes the bait and either shoots a 3 or goes to the other side of the paint where he misses almost always.

    Scenario 2: Tied Game, 10 Seconds Left, Inbound to Giannis

    Now imagine a tie game, 10 seconds remaining, and the Bucks inbound to Giannis in the half-court. The defence knows Milwaukee wants him to attack the rim, so they build a wall—think Miami’s 2023 playoff strategy, where Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler funnelled him into traffic. Giannis’s Eurostep and spin moves are lethal in transition, but in a set defence with no runway, his options shrink.

    His play making under pressure is a weak spot here. Giannis averaged 1.0 assist per clutch game in 2023-24, with a 1.5 assist-to-turnover ratio—not terrible, but not elite. He’s not LeBron, threading needles to open shooters, or Jokić, picking apart defences with surgical passes. If he can’t bulldoze his way to the rim (and at 40% in the 2023 playoffs, that’s no guarantee), he might cough up a turnover or settle for a low-percentage kick out. The clock ticks down, and the Bucks’ title hopes fade with it. All too often his passes are terrible, ie not where the receiver likes to catch it, thus reducing the chances of them scoring.

    Scenario 3: Up 1, 30 Seconds Left, Giannis Gets Fouled

    The Bucks are clinging to a one-point lead, 30 seconds to go, and Giannis gets hacked on a drive—his bread and butter, drawing 3.0 free-throw attempts per clutch game last season. This should be a golden opportunity: two shots to extend the lead to three, forcing the opponent to hit a tough bucket. But Giannis’s free-throw struggles turn this into a coin flip.

    His 10-second routine at the line—complete with deep breaths and a slow wind-up—amps up the tension. In the 2023 playoffs, he shot 45.5% from the line in clutch moments, including a 1-for-4 dud in Game 4 against Miami that swung momentum. Miss both here, and the opponent gets the ball back with a chance to win. Even splitting the pair keeps it a one-possession game, inviting pressure on Milwaukee’s defence. For a player who lives at the line, this inconsistency is a dagger in crunch time. Clutch endings are a math calculation and Giannis is doing probably one of two free throws at best.

    Scenario 4: Down 3, 5 Seconds Left, Giannis as the Decoy

    Let’s flip the script: The Bucks are down three with five seconds left, and Damian Lillard is the primary option for a game-tying shot. Giannis sets a screen or lurks as a decoy, but the defence doesn’t bite. Why? They don’t fear his jumper. Teams can switch or sag off him, focusing their energy on Lillard. Giannis’s three-point shooting means he’s not a credible threat from deep, even in a catch-and-shoot spot. And he is one of the worse screeners in the NBA, he simply doesn’t understand angles and timing. He can’t sell it!

    In the 2021 Finals, he hit a clutch three to tie Game 4 against Phoenix, but that’s the exception, not the rule. Without a reliable outside shot, Giannis can’t stretch the floor to create space for his teammates. The defence collapses, Lillard gets swarmed, and the Bucks’ season hangs on a prayer. Worse still the late pass and the way Giannis passes means the entire stadium knows ahead of time that Dame will have the ball and no clock left. Giannis’s gravity as a driver is immense, but in this specific late-game setup, his limitations shrink the playbook.

    Scenario 5: Overtime, 1 Minute Left, Giannis Fatigued

    Finally, consider an overtime thriller, score within two points, one minute to go. Giannis has been a beast all game—say, 35 points and 15 rebounds—but he’s gassed. His motor is legendary, but clutch overtime minutes test even the fittest players. Here, his reliance on physicality over finesse catches up. Defences keep fouling him, knowing his free-throw percentage dips under fatigue (anecdotal, but his 2023 playoff clutch numbers suggest a trend).

    If he’s not hitting free throws, the Bucks lose points they can’t afford. And if he’s too tired to explode past defenders, his lack of a pull-up game or off-the-dribble jumper leaves him stagnant. A turnover or a forced shot could seal Milwaukee’s fate, especially against a team with a closer like Kevin Durant or Jayson Tatum, who thrive in these wars of attrition. This is issue is made much worse by the fact that Giannis lacks the basketball IQ to know himself and he still demands the ball!

    Why These Weaknesses Matter

    Giannis’s clutch flaws—no jumper, shaky free throws, and average play making—aren’t fatal in isolation. He may still rarely dominate late games when the stars align (see: 2021 Finals Game 6, 50 points, title clinched). But in these specific situations, they expose cracks that savvy opponents exploit. Teams like the Heat or Celtics have the personnel—mobile bigs, smart wings, and physicality—to turn Giannis’s strengths into weaknesses when the clock’s ticking. Giannis does not seem to be able to think fast enough at a high level and it shows under pressure.

    The Bucks have tried to mask this with Lillard’s arrival, but injuries and coaching adjustments haven’t solved the puzzle. Giannis is a liability in the broad sense and in these clutch moments, his game can falter just enough to tip the scales, or quite often he fails in a spectacular way with dumb turnovers and mistakes even a rookie would not make which leave everybody scratching their heads. After a decade in the NBA he seems worse than ever in high pressure situations.

    Can He Fix It?

    At 30, Giannis seems unable to evolve. A more consistent free-throw stroke (aim for 80%) and a workable mid range jumper could flip these scenarios in his favour. He’s shown flashes—41.7% from 10-16 feet last season is progress—but it’s not second nature yet. Until then, these clutch situations will remain his kryptonite, and the Bucks’ title hopes will hinge on how well they scheme around them.

    The Numbers: What Do They Say?

    Clutch time in the NBA is defined as the last five minutes of a game (including overtime) where the score is within five points. It’s the crucible where legacies are forged—or tarnished. So, how does Giannis stack up?

    In the 2023-24 regular season, Giannis averaged 2.0 points per game in clutch situations, shooting 50% from the field and 66.7% from the free-throw line, according to NBA.com’s advanced stats. That field goal percentage is solid—better than many star players—but the free-throw number raises eyebrows. For a player who lives at the line (he attempted 3.0 free throws per clutch game), 66.7% isn’t elite. Compare that to someone like Damian Lillard, his Bucks co-star, who shot 92.3% from the line in clutch moments last season, and you see a gap.

    Playoff clutch stats paint a starker picture. In the 2023 postseason, Giannis’s Bucks crashed out in the first round against the Miami Heat. In clutch situations across those five games, he shot 4-for-10 from the field (40%) and a dismal 5-for-11 from the line (45.5%). Small sample size, sure, but those misses loomed large—especially in Game 4, where he went 1-for-4 from the stripe in a tight loss.

    Contrast this with the 2021 Finals, where Giannis was a monster. In Game 6 against the Suns, he dropped 50 points, including 17-for-19 from the free-throw line, sealing the Bucks’ first title in 50 years. Clutch? Absolutely. But that performance feels like an outlier when you zoom out across his career.

    The Eye Test: Where Giannis Struggles

    Stats only tell part of the story. Watching Giannis in clutch moments reveals a pattern that frustrates fans and analysts alike. His game, built on physical dominance and transition brilliance, doesn’t always translate to the half-court grind of late-game scenarios. Defences shrink the floor, pack the paint, and dare him to shoot—or foul him and test his free-throw stroke.

    Take the 2024 playoffs as an example (assuming the Bucks made a run this year—let’s project based on trends). Giannis often finds himself with the ball at the top of the key, dribbling out the clock, only to force a contested drive or kick it out late to a teammate. His lack of a reliable jump shot—career 28.6% from three—means teams don’t respect him beyond the arc. They sag off, clogging his driving lanes and turning him into a predictable one-trick pony.

    Then there’s the free-throw routine. Giannis’s 10-second wind-up at the line is a meme at this point, but it’s more than a punchline—it’s a liability. In clutch moments, every second counts, and his slow pace disrupts rhythm. Worse, his career 70.2% free-throw percentage drops under pressure, as we saw in 2023 against Miami. When the game’s tight, those misses aren’t just points left on the board—they’re momentum killers.

    Verdict: Liability or Misunderstood Asset?

    So, is Giannis a liability in clutch time? The answer isn’t black-and-white. He’s not a natural closer in the mould of a Damian Lillard or Steph Curry, and his limitations—free-throw woes, lack of a jumper, and occasional tunnel vision—can hurt in tight games. Defences have a blueprint to neutralise him, and he hasn’t consistently cracked it.

    If Milwaukee wants to maximise Giannis in crunch time, they need to lean on Lillard’s shot-making and design sets that play to Giannis’s strengths—cuts, rolls, and transition—not his weaknesses. Until then, the Greek Freak will remain a polarising figure in the clutch debate

  • Why Bucks Fans Need to Temper Their Championship Hopes with Giannis

    Why Bucks Fans Need to Temper Their Championship Hopes with Giannis

    Milwaukee Bucks fans have been riding high on the Giannis Antetokounmpo wave for years, and it’s easy to see why. The Greek Freak is an athletic marvel who can dominate regular-season games with powerful dunks and stat lines that make MVP voters drool. Two MVP awards, a Defensive Player of the Year trophy, and a 2021 championship ring have cemented his status as a superstar. But here’s the cold, hard truth Bucks fans don’t want to hear: Giannis has never proven he can sustain elite performance in the playoffs over the long haul, and banking on him to deliver another title might just be a pipe dream. His stats have been steadily getting worse in almost every category since 2021 when it counts and the delusional fans choose to only look at the easy game stat line instead.

    Let’s start with the obvious: Giannis is a regular-season monster. His ability to bulldoze through defenders and rack up points in the paint is unmatched. But the playoffs? That’s a different beast. The postseason exposes weaknesses that regular-season stat-padding can mask, and for Giannis, those flaws have popped up time and again. His lack of a reliable jump shot, predictable offensive game, and struggles at the free-throw line have been exploited by smart teams who know how to game-plan against him. Bucks fans love to point to the 2021 title as proof of his greatness, but let’s not kid ourselves—that run had as much to do with luck and circumstance as it did with Giannis turning into some playoff juggernaut. Giannis sinks a three and they all start saying “ooooh, if he adds that to his toolset the league is screwed!” Only he doesn’t. Then in a run of easy games he scores a few mid range shots and again “oooooh, if Giannis gets a jumper that’s the end of the NBA!” Only he doesn’t.

    Take a closer look at that 2021 championship. The Bucks faced a hobbled Nets team in the second round, with Kyrie Irving injured and James Harden playing on one leg. In the Finals, they took down a gritty but outmatched Suns squad led by Chris Paul, who was 36 and running on fumes by that point. Giannis was phenomenal in the closeout game, dropping 50 points, including 17-of-19 from the free-throw line—a performance that’s more outlier than norm. Fans cling to that series like it’s the blueprint, but it’s the exception, not the rule. Before and since, Giannis’s playoff résumé is littered with disappointments that should give Milwaukee pause.

    Rewind to 2019. The Bucks were the No. 1 seed, Giannis was the MVP, and they got smoked by the Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals, losing four straight after taking a 2-0 lead. Toronto built a wall in the paint, dared Giannis to shoot, and watched him flounder. Fast forward to 2020: the bubble. Milwaukee again had the best record in the East, and again, they choked—this time to the Heat in five games. Giannis averaged a pedestrian 21.8 points on 49% shooting, got shut down by Miami’s zone, and sprained his ankle, leaving the series early. It almost seems like he fakes injuries to avoid responsibility in the playoffs every time they get kicked out…. Even last year, 2024, with Damian Lillard on board, the Bucks bowed out in the first round to the Pacers. Giannis missed the series with a calf injury, sure, but his absence only underscored the team’s over-reliance on him—and his inability to stay on the floor when it matters most. Why? Because he consistently prefers to stat pad in easy regular season games, playing way too much in meaningless moments.

    The pattern is clear: Giannis thrives when the stakes are low and the defenses are vanilla. But in the playoffs, when teams have time to scheme and adjust, his limitations shine through. He’s a freight train with no brakes—devastating in a straight line, but easy to derail if you force him to change direction. His jumper remains a work in progress (career 28.6% from three and this season heading to the worse ever in NBA history), and his free-throw shooting is a liability that turns late-game situations into a coin toss (career 69.8%, dipping to 58.5% in the 2023 playoffs). Defences clog the paint, pack the lane, and live with him bricking shots from distance. Bucks fans scream about his heart and hustle, but heart doesn’t fix a broken offensive arsenal.

    And let’s talk about that supporting cast. The Bucks have tried to build around Giannis, but the results are shaky. Khris Middleton was a solid No. 2 when healthy, but injury-prone. Jrue Holiday was a perfect fit—until they traded him for Dame, whose defence is a downgrade and whose playoff clutch gene hasn’t exactly translated yet in Milwaukee because of the way Giannis plays mainly. The roster feels like a patchwork quilt, stitched together to mask Giannis’s flaws. Compare that to, say, the Celtics, who surround Jayson Tatum with shooters, defenders, and playmakers who complement his skill set. Milwaukee’s front office seems to think Giannis can will them to a title single-handedly, but the evidence says otherwise.

    Bucks fans might argue that Giannis is still young—30 isn’t old in today’s NBA—and that he’ll figure it out. But playoff success isn’t just about talent; it’s about adaptability, and Giannis hasn’t shown he can evolve when it counts. LeBron added a jumper. KD refined his off-ball game. Even Jokić, a plodding big man, developed a deadly midrange shot and passing wizardry to dissect playoff defenses. Giannis? He’s still slamming into walls, literally and figuratively, hoping raw power can overcome strategy. It worked once, but lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same spot often. The much hyped this season mid range is completely non existent in tougher regular season matchups so you can be sure it wont appear in the playoffs.

    The Eastern Conference isn’t getting any easier, either. Boston is a juggernaut. The Knicks are gritty and deep. Even younger teams like Cleveland and Orlando are on the rise. The Bucks’ window isn’t closed, but it’s creaking shut, and Giannis hasn’t proven he can carry them through that gauntlet with any consistency. Fans dreaming of another parade down Wisconsin Avenue are banking on a miracle—not a realistic assessment of their star’s postseason track record.

    So, Bucks faithful, enjoy the regular-season highlights. Cheer the dunks, the blocks, the MVP chants. Giannis is a freak show worth the price of admission. But a sustained playoff run to a championship? That’s a delusion built on one fluky title and a lot of wishful thinking. Until Giannis shows he can dominate when the lights are brightest—not just in spurts, but night after night against the best—Milwaukee’s hopes are more fantasy than destiny.