Milwaukee Bucks: What’s trending through the ninth week of the season
It’s safe to say the Milwaukee Bucks‘ eight-game homestand didn’t get off to the greatest start last week.
After all, the Bucks endured through the worst stretch of the Mike Budenholzer era where they had lost five straight games before finally putting an end to that streak in their 98-85 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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For good measure, the Bucks added on their second straight victory by taking care of business versus the Sacramento Kings and appear to have Jrue Holiday back in the mix very soon as he’s missed the last two weeks due to being in the league’s health and safety protocols.
So without further ado, let’s look at the trends that have emerged to this point in the Milwaukee Bucks’ homestand.
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s free throw shooting has been a rising trend for the Milwaukee Bucks.
On the week where he was selected to his fifth straight All-Star appearance, Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has put in some truly dominant performances. Even while the Bucks have only started to climb out of their slide.
Arguably, the biggest hole in the two-time MVP’s game this season has been his free throw shooting, though his entire shooting abilities are in need of improvement. Given that he’s averaging a career-high 10.5 free throw attempts this season, Antetokounmpo is putting even more pressure on the rim and some teams like the Kings have looked to fouling Antetokounmpo to beat them at the free throw line.
He certainly obliged Sunday night by knocking down a career-high 19 free throws on 24 attempts, accounted for half of his 38 points in the win. Over the week, Antetokounmpo went 44-for-61 from the free throw line, good for 72.1 percent.
As he’s stuck with his new free throw routine, which certainly pushes the limits on committing a 10-second violation, Antetokounmpo’s free throw percentage on the season has now risen to 65.4 percent.
There is still much more tests for Antetokounmpo to pass in regards to his free throw shooting, but he has truly turned a corner from where he was to start the season.