Milwaukee Bucks: How can Giannis Antetokounmpo improve this year?

Already one of the league’s elite players, what can Giannis Antetokounmpo do to improve his game and the Milwaukee Bucks in the upcoming season?

Giannis Antetokounmpo has come a long way in his first five years in the NBA with the Milwaukee Bucks, with almost all of that time coming under the guidance of coach Jason Kidd.

In year one, he was a promising but inefficient rookie. In year 2, he became a legitimate role-playing starter. In his third year, he became a top-50 player and showed his first glimpses of superstardom late in the season when he played as a primary ball-handler for the first time in the NBA.

By the time years four and five came around, everything had changed. Antetokounmpo had become an All-Star and a top-10 player in the NBA, and yet his future still seemed brighter than ever.

Jump shooting

When it comes to Giannis’ improvement, the first point that comes to mind is his jump shot, and for good reason too.

This has been the biggest weakness in Antetokounmpo’s game since he arrived in the NBA, and that remains true today.

When you look at the stats, last season Giannis shot 33.3 percent on his jump shots overall, and only 30.7 percent on his three-point shots. These marks come in way below the league average, and for Giannis to really take his game to the next level, it would be very helpful to add an at least near average jump shot to his arsenal.

He’s already proven that it isn’t essential for him to be able to play at an elite level, but having to close out on Giannis would be an even greater nightmare for any defender, as he can get his shot off easily with his length and can attack the closeout to get to the rim using his athleticism.

In his years under Kidd, Antetokounmpo was urged to focus on developing his inside game, and he is now one of the best in the league at getting to the rim, where he displays elite post footwork.

Despite inside scoring and creating being his primary focus, Antetokounmpo has also shown signs of what could essentially be natural progress with his jump shot. From his rookie campaigh to his fifth season, Antetokounmpo’s jump shooting percentages are: 26.9 percent, 32.6 percent, 28.8 percent, 30.3 percent, and 33.3 percent. On the whole, there is an upward trend but it is not quite enough just yet.

New assistant coach Ben Sullivan has a strong reputation as a shooting coach thanks to his history of improving the jump shots of multiple Hawks players, such as Kent Bazemore and DeMarre Carroll. In other words, if Giannis decides to focus on that aspect of his game, he’ll have strong support and guidance in place.

Of course, even after Antetokounmpo improves his jump shot, there’ll remain the need for him to learn how to incorporate the it into his shot selection effectively. It’s almost guaranteed that he will never be a shoot first player, so Antetokounmpo will have to carefully pick his spots so that his shot hurts the opposing defense rather than acts as a means of settling.

Fitting within a smarter system

Giannis can also benefit from the prospect of the Bucks producing improved team play as a whole.

In halfcourt situations especially, Antetokounmpo can be utilized better off-ball as a roll man and a cutter. Giannis getting into the post or Bledsoe driving into traffic should not be the only plans.

Of course, Giannis’ post-ups are not to be dismissed, as they do indeed generate good looks. However, they also generate static possessions which are bad for the team’s rhythm as the other four players can end up standing around waiting to spot up. This can result in the team’s intensity dropping at both ends of the floor.

More players creating shots will both take pressure off Giannis and open up even more chances for him to exploit his athletic advantage by having a greater number of possessions as a roll man (with the short roll also being a possibility because of his passing ability), or cutting to the basket.

Last year, Antetokounmpo had 339 assisted and 403 unassisted field goals made. It certainly would help if the assisted/unassisted ratio went up a bit.

The 60-win Hawks of new Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer ran a motion offense as their only really dynamic playmaker was Dennis Schröder off the bench. Sure, Budenholzer will to an extent have to adjust to having a dominant force like Giannis on the court in Milwaukee, but most likely the Bucks’ attack will become more diverse than it has been in previous years.

Defensively, if the Bucks can finally put together a top-10 defense as a team, Giannis will possibly be a candidate for the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award.

Antetokounmpo was to a large extent overlooked in this year’s All-Defensive teams because of the inadequate team defense of the Bucks as a team. One elite defender can’t have the proper impact if opposing teams can get open shots just by passing the ball around a bit, and the hope will be that changes for the Bucks under Budenholzer.

Health and fitness

First of all, let’s not forget that Giannis is still getting stronger. If he hits the 240lb mark in the future — that is if he isn’t already there in actuality — his dominance in the post will become even more pronounced and he will be able to play more often at center. Antetokounmpo should be wary of not getting much heavier, though, to maintain his agility and to avoid putting too much stress on his knees.

Also, let’s not forget that Antetokounmpo had a lingering knee issue last season, that could always take a toll on him again at some point. This chronic injury might be strangely beneficial in a way, as it does force Giannis to avoid overdoing it and risking serious injury, and it should also encourage the Bucks to take even greater care of their star.

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On the other hand, though, it could take a toll on Antetokounmpo from an athletic standpoint in the middle and late stages of the season, if it continues to plague him. Giannis has to figure out ways to be in the best condition possible throughout the season and especially towards the playoffs, if he’s to put together the kind of great season that he’s obviously capable of.

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