Giannis Antetokounmpo has become one of the most feared specimens in the NBA this season, a 6-foot-11 monster than can destroy players with his quickness, strength, length, and his basketball IQ.
Prior to facing him and the Milwaukee Bucks in the last test before the All-Star break, Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone noted there was one thing keeping him from being an unstoppable force.
“He’s great in the open floor, he lives in the paint, he gets to where he wants to go,” said Malone, according to Gina Mizell of The Denver Post. “I think the next step for him is becoming a consistent 3-point shooter. If that ever happens, you can’t guard the guy. He’ll be unguardable.”
Antetokounmpo has already proven a heavy load for NBA defenses, averaging a beefy 27.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game — but the only area that isn't as robust as the others is his 3-point shooting — still a career 27.9 percent shooter, shooting 28.6 percent this season in 91 attempts.
Malone will have a hard time keeping his team in front of Antetokounmpo, with a much smaller Wilson Chandler, and slower defenders in Mason Plumlee, Trey Lyles, and Nikola Jokic.
He's catching the Greek Freak in a particular slump, though, as he's dropped his high efficiency to only 47 percent from the field this month, shooting only 63.6 percent from the line in 6.3 attempts per game over his last seven games.
If the likes of Jamal Murray and Will Barton can remain hot for this last game, the Nuggets could head into the All-Star break with a three-game win streak and a virtual tie for sixth place in the Western Conference.
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