We’ve long said it: The only thing keeping Giannis mortal is his broken jump shot.
Well, Giannis shoots now. In 14 games, he’s averaging four and a half 3-point attempts per game, while making roughly 30 percent of them.
That hit rate is slightly lower than you’d want (the league average is 35 percent), but the volume is the most important thing.
He’s already taken 61 shots from 25 to 29 feet, a third of what he took all of last year in just 14 games, which shows both an uptick in comfort and a willingness to expand his game.
He also has a unique way of shooting open 3s, where he starts a few feet behind the line and dripple-steps into his shot, which The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor pointed out here:
This season, the reigning MVP is shooting 37.2 percent on 3s off the dribble, a terrifying development for opposing defenses and a game-changer for the Bucks.
The more 3-pointers Giannis shoots and makes, the more hopeless defenders will have to meander out toward him, which means the more rim-rattling he’ll get to do.
Giannis' stats this season:
30.1 points | 14.1 rebounds | 6.6 assists
Last night, he posted 29 points, 19 rebounds and 15 assists in a 137-129 win over the Blazers.
Here are the highlights.He’s kind of like Shaq, except Shaq never had anything resembling a competent outside shot, which Giannis already has at the age of 24.
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