Giannis Antetokounmpo: 3 bold predictions for the Finals MVP in 2021-22

It was another historic season for Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2020-21 as he helped the Milwaukee Bucks win their first title in 50 years.

He did not win MVP or Defensive Player of the Year like he did the year before, but he was still First Team All-NBA, First Team All-Defense, an All-Star, the All-Star Game MVP, and the NBA Finals MVP. Not too shabby. He averaged 28.1 points, 11 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game in the regular season on 56.9 percent field goal shooting, 30.3 percent 3-point shooting, and 68.5 percent free throw shooting (60 percent effective field goal and 63.3 percent true shooting). During his historic playoff run, his averages were 30.2 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 5.1 assists.

Antetokounmpo has now accomplished pretty much everything there is to accomplish as a professional basketball player, and he will look to continue to add more accolades this year and climb up the all-time rankings even more. He has very little left to prove, but there are still things he can improve on in order to develop his game even more. Here are three bold predictions for Antetokounmpo’s 2021-22 season.

Bold prediction No. 1 – Giannis Antetokounmpo shoots over 70 percent on free throws in 2021-22

Free throw shooting has been one of the biggest weaknesses for Giannis the past couple of years. He shot just 63.3 percent from the line in 2019-20 and then 68.5 percent last season, and was under 60 percent in the playoffs both years. Over the past three years combined in both the regular season and playoffs, he is shooting just 66.8 percent from the line.

However, even though Giannis did not finish above 70 percent last season, he actually was above that mark for the majority of the year. He started out very poorly at just 59.1 percent in his first 18 games, but over his last 43 games, he was at 72.9 percent. He really started to find a rhythm and some confidence at the stripe, and if he can continue that progression into this season, there is no reason why he can’t be a 70 percent free throw shooter.

Antetokounmpo also appears to have a slightly changed form to his free throws this year as he continues to work with shooting coaches. He has made big strides in the mental aspect of the game, which seems to be the area that is primarily causing his free throw struggles.

After shooting nearly 73 percent on free throws over the final four months of the season and making 17-of-19 free throws in Game 6 of the Finals, there is plenty of reason to believe he can be a more consistent free throw shooter this year.