Milwaukee Bucks: Grades for each starter heading into All-Star break
By Dalton Sell
Milwaukee Bucks: Grade for Giannis Antetokounmpo heading into the All-Star break
Giannis Antetokounmpo silenced any speculation surrounding his future with the Bucks this offseason when he inked his signature on a five-year supermax extension. With his commitment to the organization ensured, Giannis and the Bucks were thankfully able to focus entirely on basketball.
After a slow start to the season, the reigning two-time MVP has picked up the slack by having yet another dominant year. Averaging 29 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game, the Greek Freak has been fantastic. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year has also improved his numbers on that side of the ball this year by averaging 1.3 steals and 1.4 blocks per game.
On paper, it seems that Antetokounmpo should be in the conversation to win his third consecutive league MVP trophy, but he has primarily been an afterthought in the discussion. Voter fatigue has certainly caught up to Giannis and the Bucks, which is understandable after they have been able to translate their regular season success into the playoffs.
Nevertheless, sticking with the positives, perhaps the most welcoming part of Antetokounmpo’s game has been his improved free-throw shooting. Although Giannis is still shooting just 66.1 percent on the season, he put together a much-improved display of shooting from the stripe in February.
Throughout 15 games, Antetokounmpo shot a welcoming 74.7 percent on from the line 10.5 attempts per game. Free throw shooting has arguably been the MVP’s biggest flaw over the past few years, and if he has finally turned the corner, it would be a significant boost for his game.
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Antetokounmpo has been having another historically great season. He has been playing some of the best basketball of his career on both ends of the floor and has shown no signs of slowing down.