Giannis Antetokounmpo might be the favorite to win MVP this season, and there's a legitimate argument to be made that he should have been a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year, too. Needless to say, the Milwaukee Bucks superstar has been absolutely dominant in 2018-19, reaching a level of play few player ever have by virtue of a coach finally implementing a system that plays to his strengths and, perhaps more importantly, ridiculous all-around individual improvement.
One area in which Antetokounmpo actually got worse this season though? The free throw line, where he shot a below-average 72.9 percent during the regular season – the third-lowest mark of hi six-year career, and just over three points worse than he shot a year ago. Still, even those relative struggles hardly suggest Antetokounmpo would be capable of air-balling a free throw, especially during the playoffs.
Wrong.
Oh no, Giannis 😬 pic.twitter.com/g2dK47tlaT
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 20, 2019
Sunday hasn't been Antetokounmpo's night in more ways than just this embarrassing gaffe. He's en route to his worst shooting performance of the postseason, frustrated in part by Toronto coach Nick Nurse siccing Kawhi Leonard on him defensively, and has missed several makable looks even when he's been able to get free. But Antetokounmpo, of course, is affecting the game in many others – as a passer, rebounder, switch defender, pace-setter, rim-protector, and more.
We'll see if it's enough to help Milwaukee win an extremely hotly-contested game.
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