Giannis Antetokounmpo: Breaking down early returns on tweaked jumper

If there is one thing certain about Giannis Antetokounmpo, it is that he will never be satisfied as long as he is playing for the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Greek Freak has always been determined to improve his game each and every year, and the biggest question mark was always whether or not he could add a steady jump shot. Throughout a series of offseason workout videos, Antetokounmpo showed glimpses of an improved shot with signs of tweaked mechanics to provide a smoother all-around jumper. This phenomenon carried over into the preseason as Antetokounmpo garnered massive media attention by knocking down shots from all over the floor, but he needed to prove he could do it once the regular season began.

How has Giannis Antetokounmpo’s jumper looked throughout the first five games of the season for the Milwaukee Bucks?

Many have wanted to see Antetokounmpo develop a steady mid-range game to keep the defense guessing at all times. He has never been shy about taking these shots, as he knocked down many memorable ones during the postseason, but he has struggled thus far in the 2021-22 season. As tracked by NBA.com/stats, Antetokounmpo has shot 4-of-15 (26.7 percent) from the mid-range this year. That is certainly not the early return that Bucks fans had hoped for, but the two-time MVP will continue to keep shooting them as he is incredibly confident with that shot.

Although he has struggled with the mid-range, Antetokounmpo’s 3-point shooting, which has always been his weakest attribute, has caught some attention. Shooting 6-of-17 (35.3 percent) from deep this season, Antetokounmpo is knocking that shot down more consistently than ever before, albeit a small sample size. Teams will continue to give him space out on the perimeter to prevent him from bulldozing his way to the basket, and if Antetokounmpo can continue making them pay by knocking down these triples, he will be all the more lethal on the offensive end.

Perhaps the best part of it all has been the free throw shooting, which has always been an issue for the reigning Finals MVP. To start the season, Antetokounmpo is shooting 73.5 percent from the stripe, hitting a career-high 7.2 of his free throws per contest. There was plenty of discourse from opposing fanbases regarding Antetokounmpo’s long routine at the line during the postseason, but he has changed it entirely as he is getting these shots off much quicker. It is paying off as he looks far more comfortable at the line, with the results speaking for themselves.

The biggest thing for Antetokounmpo moving forward will be keeping things as consistently as humanly possible. While his game will never revolve around the 3-point shot, it would be nice to see him knock them in on occasion to keep the opposing defense on their toes. The same goes for the mid-range, which could use some improvement after these early struggles. The biggest of the bunch will be the free throws, as Antetokounmpo’s game will take another leap if he can continue hitting them at such an efficient rate.

This could be the beginning of a special season for the two-time MVP.