Thought experiment: watch the next game of the 2025 NBA Finals and imagine either team with Giannis on the floor. What would he do? These teams have showcased the evolution of basketball emphasising speed, versatility, and strategic complexity. Unfortunately, Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo has appeared increasingly out of place in this type of high-stakes environment. While his athleticism and physical dominance remain undeniable, the Finals have exposed critical flaws in his game that suggest he is not suited for the demands of modern NBA basketball at this level. You can talk rubbish theoretical trade talks all you want but everyone in the NBA knows for a fact that Giannis simply can’t deliver when it counts. Regular season stat padding and breaking crazy records are not NBA playoff basketball.
Lack of Speed on Both Ends
The modern NBA prioritizes pace, with teams exploiting transition opportunities and quick defensive rotations. Giannis, despite his freakish athleticism, often appears a step slow in these scenarios. Offensively, his reliance on bulldozing drives to the rim is less effective against Finals-caliber defenses that collapse quickly and force him into crowded paint situations. His 6.9 seconds per touch (among the highest in the playoffs) indicate a deliberate, plodding style that disrupts Milwaukee’s flow in fast-paced games.
Defensively, Giannis struggles to keep up with the rapid ball movement and off-ball screens that define modern offences. Teams like the Boston Celtics or Dallas Mavericks exploit his slower lateral movement by using guards and wings to pull him out of position, creating open looks from three or easy drives. His Defensive Versatility Index (DVI) this postseason dropped to 0.82, below the league average for big men, highlighting his struggles to switch effectively in high-speed defensive schemes.
Questionable Basketball IQ
Basketball IQ is critical in the Finals, where split-second decisions determine outcomes. Giannis, while a phenomenal physical talent, often lacks the instincts needed for elite play making. Not his fault, he started playing ball way too late in life. It’s not something you can add later, it has to be instinctual. His assist-to-turnover ratio in the 2025 playoffs (1.8:1) is among the lowest for primary ball-handlers, reflecting a tendency to force passes or drives without reading the defence. Advanced plays, such as pick-and-roll counters or off-ball movement, seem to elude him. Opponents frequently bait him into predictable patterns, like charging into double-teams, where his decision-making falters.
For example, in Game 3 of the Finals, Giannis was repeatedly caught hesitating against zone defenses, leading to three shot-clock violations. His inability to quickly process complex coverages limits Milwaukee’s offensive ceiling, especially when compared to players like Luka Dončić or Jayson Tatum, who thrive in reading and exploiting defensive adjustments.
Inability to Adapt to Advanced Strategies
The modern NBA demands adaptability, with coaches deploying intricate schemes to outmaneuver opponents. Giannis, however, appears rigid in his approach. His offensive game relies heavily on straight-line drives and post-ups, which are less effective against teams that use analytics-driven defenses to clog driving lanes. According to Synergy Sports, Giannis’s points per possession (PPP) on isolation plays in the Finals dropped to 0.89, well below the 1.05 league average for big men.
On defence, his inability to adjust to modern switching schemes or communicate effectively in pick-and-roll coverages has been glaring. Opponents exploit this by targeting him in high pick-and-rolls, forcing him to either hedge too far or drop too deep, creating open shots. His lack of engagement in off-ball defensive rotations—often standing flat-footed as shooters relocate—further compounds Milwaukee’s struggles against dynamic offences.
Ball-Hogging Tendencies
Giannis’s ball-dominant style stifles the Bucks’ offense in critical moments. He averaged 8.1 seconds per possession with the ball, often holding it without purposeful movement. This slows down teammates like Damian Lillard, who thrive in quicker, more fluid systems. His usage rate (34.2%) is among the highest in the playoffs, yet his efficiency (True Shooting % of 54.1) lags behind other superstars like Nikola Jokić (61.3%). This suggests Giannis is monopolising possessions without generating proportional value, a cardinal sin in the team-oriented modern game.
Lack of Diverse Skills and Options
Perhaps the most glaring issue is Giannis’s limited skill set. His jump shot remains unreliable—his three-point percentage in the Finals was a dismal 22.7% on low volume (1.4 attempts per game). Defences sag off him, daring him to shoot, which clogs the paint and limits his driving lanes. Unlike players like Kevin Durant or even Anthony Davis, Giannis lacks a consistent mid-range game or the ability to create off the dribble with finesse. Again, his fans think he has a mid range shot but we have analysed here in depth how this is completely not true. It was a media hype bullshit story in a stretch of easy regular season games. When it mattered, in the playoffs, Giannis has zero mid range. As usual.
Additionally, his free-throw shooting (64.3% in the playoffs) remains a liability in close games, where opponents intentionally foul him to exploit this weakness. His lack of off-ball movement further limits his versatility; he rarely cuts or relocates effectively, making him predictable and easier to game-plan against.
Giannis is past his prime and the game has evolved way beyond his skillset
Giannis Antetokounmpo remains a two-time MVP and a physical marvel, but the 2025 NBA Playoffs have underscored his limitations in the modern game. His lack of speed, questionable basketball IQ, inability to adapt to advanced strategies, ball-hogging tendencies, and limited skill set make it difficult for him to dominate at the highest level against elite competition. While he can still be a cornerstone for the Bucks, Milwaukee may need to retool its system—or Giannis must evolve significantly—to compete in the increasingly sophisticated landscape of the NBA. The Finals have made it clearer than ever: raw athleticism alone is no longer enough and Giannis was extremely lucky to get a ring while he could that year.
