Milwaukee Bucks: 3 insane stats throughout first 12 games of 2021-22
By Dalton Sell
The Milwaukee Bucks have been through their share of ups and downs to start the new season as they currently sit at eighth place in the Eastern Conference with a 6-6 record.
Injuries, illnesses, and trying to integrate the newcomers have all played a part in this struggle to find consistency, but as evidenced by last season, a slow start means relatively little. This team is still trying to get everyone out on the floor as this is far from the best version of the Bucks that a roster like this has to offer. Getting everyone back will take time, but in the meantime, here is a trio of stats that stand out over Milwaukee’s first 12 matchups.
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 3-point percentage is better than Damian Lillard, Bradley Beal, and Anthony Davis this season
Shooting has obviously never been a strong suit for Giannis Antetokounmpo, but he has made it a point of emphasis to shoot more this season. In fact, throughout 10 games, the two-time MVP is heaving 4.9 triples per contest, the most in his career. Shooting 16-of-56 on those attempts, it is not exactly the most efficient stroke from Antetokounmpo, but his 28.6 percent success rate from long range ranks higher than several household names across the league.
A few names that have a lower percentage than Antetokounmpo at this point are Damian Lillard (25.4 percent), Bradley Beal (25.0 percent), and Anthony Davis (15.4 percent). Lillard, who is known as a prolific outside shooter, has struggled to find a groove by hitting just 29 of his 114 attempts. With Lillard having nearly double the attempts as Antetokounmpo and struggling to the degree that he is, this one makes some sense. However, Beal is a more intriguing example because he has hit 16 3-pointers this year, just as many as Antetokounmpo while taking eight more attempts. Davis has just been outright subpar by shooting 4-of-26 from long range.
These comparisons are not to say that Antetokounmpo is now suddenly an elite shooter, as 28.6 percent from deep is still not exactly sensational. Yet, it is interesting to see some names that rank below him in efficiency on the year. Antetokounmpo has always focused on improving his jumper, and he will continue heaving 3-pointers more than ever before this season. There is still plenty of room for the Greek Freak to improve percentage-wise, but he has shown some potential early on.