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.
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)
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.
Again today, in an easy match up which the Bucks won easily and Giannis had no opponent, people started talking about his mid range. It sure looked good when it went in, eh? Let’s look at the facts. (Part 2 of this here)
Against the Jazz with no Hendricks , Juzang , Cody Williams , John Collins or Walker Kessler the Bucks were basically playing around as if in their gym. Even so, I would say the picture isn’t looking good. He missed three shots next to the rim. (In the orange circle I added.) And he scored 4/6 in the ‘mid range’. Oh and he wasted a 3point attempt.
Because Giannis has no mid range. It is clear when he is actually being defended by someone. Even without Porzingis, on the 4th of December 2024 this is a more realistic look at Giannis’ mid range.
He isn’t even scoring them so well right next to the rim against shorter opponents. And just 3/8 from the ‘mid’ range. And of course the wasted 3point shot as usual. And here is Giannis against the Knicks January 12th 2024. Even worse!
This data is pretty solid. Here is the shot chart for Giannis over his career. He clearly has specific positions and can’t do anything with his left hand.
And here is playoff Giannis. Which isn’t even counting tough matchups seeing as he has only progressed in the playoffs twice in his many years in the NBA.
In the playoffs he is pretty much a one trick pony and head on down the middle. Why is this a problem? Because I am not the only one looking at this shot charts. Opponents know how to neutralise him. And they do when it counts.
So save me the talk about “Giannis mid range” becoming a threat to the league. The only thing it threatens is to further confuse the Bucks into incorrect decisions on how they should play as a team. A weapon is only a weapon when it is consistent when you need it. Not in trash time against easy teams.
