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Giannis Antetokounmpo: The Art of Developing a Three-Point Shot

By John Heffernon

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If you have read any article about the Bucks this offseason you have likely ran into a quote similar to this, “this team has spacing issues.” I think we all know this by now, and are likely going to hear it over and over. When you have a point guard like Michael Carter-Williams and forwards like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker this will happen.

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If you have read any article about the Bucks this offseason you also may have ran into a quote like this, “someone other than Khris Middleton needs to develop an outside jump shot.” Middleton will space the floor well but he is going to need some help. I think most people agree that when healthy the starting lineup for Milwaukee will be MCW, Middleton, Giannis, Jabari, and Greg Monroe. I think we can all agree that Monroe isn’t, and shouldn’t, be the one tasked with developing three point range.

So who is charged with helping Khris stretch defenses? Who is the savior going to be among Parker, Giannis, and MCW? Will any one of them become a “good” shooter by seasons’ end?

It’s hard to say. Jabari has the best natural jump shot of the three, but he is currently healing from his ACL tear and may not be able to focus on developing his range as he goes through the intense rehab process.

Carter-Williams has devoted himself to developing range but in the 2015 USA Men’s Basketball Showcase he was 1/4 from the three-point line. A small sample size for sure, but it is on par with his career 3 point shooting percentage of 25.2%.

That leaves us Giannis. The Greek Freak has progressed a lot since he entered the league in 2013. He has always been a menace for the opposition as a defender and he has slowly started to develop different ways to put the ball in the basket, besides just relying on freak athleticism.

As a rookie, Giannis shot 34.7% from three at a clip of 1.5 per game. Last year coach Jason Kidd implored the Greek Freak to take the ball to the hoop often and work for high percentage, close range shots. Giannis listened to his coach and because of this his three-ball suffered. He shot 15.9% from three at a clip of 0.5 attempts per game last season.

Since international play has started up (teams are working to qualify for 2016 Olympic tournament spots) we have gotten to see Giannis in some competitive basketball situations. How has he been shooting in these situations though?

In the Xanthi International Friendly tournament Giannis played in four of six games for Greece. He was 1/2 from three against Bosnia & Herzegovina on August 14th, 0/0 against Turkey on August 17th, 0/1 against the Czech Republic on August 21st, and 3/6 Bosnia & Herzegovina. In four somewhat meaningful games this summer he has shot 4/9 from three. That would equate to a 44.4% 3-point percentage.

The three point line in the games Giannis has been playing is the FIBA three point line, which is 1’8″ shorter than the NBA line everywhere except the two corners. Shooting almost 45% from what is a deep two in four sort of important games doesn’t really mean much. We can’t just say that this is going to translate to Giannis shooting 40+ percent from behind the arc next season.

Regardless of the distance behind the arc, Giannis looks more comfortable than ever before launching shots from deep. His release is fluid and his form is consistent. Jason Kidd is going to need someone to take threes this year and if Giannis can shoot them at a decent percentage with confidence, then he is the best candidate among the three of Jabari, MCW, and himself.

It is apparent Giannis has been working on his range, and it is actually getting better. He will be playing in the Eurobasket Olympic qualifying tournament soon and watching his jumper there will be important. If he can maintain the percentages he posted in Xanthi there is no reason we can’t project him making between 38-41% of his threes next season. That could make him the secondary shooter the Bucks need in their starting lineup and take him one step closer to becoming a superstar.

Next: Could Giannis Antetokounmpo Really Play At Center?

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