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Milwaukee Bucks star and two-time reigning league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo's shooting touch has been a topic of discussion for some time. But things are getting worse.
Antetokounmpo is shooting 27.6 percent from beyond the arc on 4.1 attempts per game to start the season. The “Greek Freak” is also shooting just over 63 percent from the free-throw line on 10.2 attempts per contest, which may be of greater concern as the playoffs draw nearer.
Multiple scouts question whether the Bucks have it in them to get a bucket in crunch time, especially if opponents are going to pack the paint and simply resort to putting Antetokounmpo on the line:
Article Continues Below“Are you going to win with him shooting [63%] from the line?” asked an Eastern Conference scout, via ESPN's Tim Bontemps. “That is a huge deal.”
“I just don't know if Khris Middleton will be good enough to be the go-to guy down the stretch,” a West scout said. “Giannis clearly isn't going to be it.”
The paint-packing formula has crushed the Bucks each of their last two playoff defeats.
The Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat simply cut off straight-line drives and sent multiple help defenders at Antetokounmpo when he had the ball in deep. That strategy paid dividends, mostly taking Antetokounmpo out of the game and forcing Milwaukee to settle for contested shots late in the clock.
Milwaukee hoped the addition of Jrue Holiday would alleviate some of Giannis' need to be on the ball. Both Holiday and Khris Middleton have been very productive as perimeter shooters and playmakers, but scouts appear skeptical of the capacity for either guy to go get a bucket in a tight playoff game.
The Bucks are in good shape for now. They rank first in offensive rating and net rating. But Mike Budenholzer might need to make adjustments if the Bucks hope to go deep this spring.
