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Reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo hasn't attempted a single 3-pointer in the Milwaukee Bucks' last two games. He once again went 0-for-0 on Wednesday, in the Bucks' 130-110 thrashing of the Indiana Pacers at Fiserv Forum.
Post-game, Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer denied that he banned the Greek Freak from firing it up from long distance. Per The Athletic's Eric Mehm, Coach Bud said Giannis' decision to not take threes in the last two games came organically.
Budenholzer told us Antetokounmpo not attempting a 3-pointer in consecutive games for the first time during his tenure in Milwaukee was not any sort of directive from him.
Instead, it just sort of happened organically.
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) February 4, 2021
Article Continues Below“He's (Giannis) aggressive and attacking when it's needed and he's finding his teammates and finding opportunities for everybody else when it's needed. He's playing at a really high level,” Budenholzer added.
While Giannis Antetokounmpo is not really known for his outside shooting, fans are used to seeing him knock down a couple of threes per game every now and then.
Opposing defenses, after all, prefer giving the 26-year-old superstar open looks from deep rather than him making a play close to the basket. Giannis, for his part, has worked on that aspect of his game over the years. However, he is still a subpar 3-point shooter, making just 28 percent of his attempts prior to Wednesday's game.
After going 0-for-4 from downtown against the Hornets last week, Antetokounmpo has not shot a triple against the Blazers and the Pacers, which resulted in back-to-back wins for Milwaukee. The four-time All-Star finished with a triple-double performance of 21 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists, and two steals in 31 minutes versus Indiana. He missed just one of his eight total attempts from inside the arc.
Mike Budenholzer, meanwhile, still gives his franchise player the green light to shoot from distance. That is if Giannis wants to.
