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

Bold Prediction No. 2 – Two-point jumpers take Giannis Antetokounmpo’s game to even another level in 2021-22

Another important area for Antetokounmpo’s growth is his two-point jump shot. Everyone knows how dominant he is around the rim, but his ability to knock down mid-range turnarounds and hit fadeaways if the defense is able to stop him from getting to the rim will be huge for his offensive development.

Many focus on Giannis’ 3-point shooting as the key to unlocking his full potential offensively, but really it seems to be his mid-range shooting that makes a bigger difference. Teams are always going to give him the three, and it is a much harder shot to master (Giannis has not shot above 30.7 percent from three since his rookie season) compared to the closer mid-range shots.

Giannis has really shown improvement on his two-point jump shots throughout his career, going from 30.5 percent in 2015-16 to 36.9 percent in 2017-18 to 39.8 percent last year. It is an area that makes a huge difference in his game and looks like a shot he has the ability to make consistently.

The playoffs really put this on display, where he knocked down 45.3 percent of his two-point jumpers. On shots from between 8-16 feet, Giannis shot 46.2 percent in the 2021 playoffs after being at 27.3 percent in the 2019 playoffs and just 14.3 percent in the 2018 playoffs, according to NBA.com/stats. He appears to have really started to evolve as a mid-range shooter and scorer, and as he continues to put in the work and get more reps in, that should keep improving this year.

Look for him to keep improving this part of his game, and if he gets it down consistently, we saw in the playoffs what that could do for his game. He becomes unstoppable.