With five straight First-Team All-NBA selections, a pair of league MVPs, and a championship ring, the last thing Giannis Antetokounmpo needs is for a writer to tell him that he needs to work on his game. The reality, however, is that there are a few aspects of his game where Antetokounmpo needs to improve.
Here’s a look at three stats where Giannis Antetokounmpo needs to shore up his game.
3 Key stats Giannis Antetokounmpo needs to improve next season
Turnovers. Last season, Giannis averaged 3.9 turnovers per game, the highest in his career. The 3.9 turnovers were the second-highest in the league behind Trae Young’s 4.1 per game average. In the last five years, Giannis has averaged 3.6 turnovers per game, tied for the seventh most in the league since 2018-19. The 246 turnovers were the second-most of his career in a season (he had 268 in 2018-19). In the 2022-23 season, the Bucks were 12-8 in games where Giannis had five or more turnovers. Also, last season, the Bucks lost 16 games that Giannis played in… Giannis had five or more turnovers in eight of those 16 losses.
Free Throws. His .645 free throw percentage this season was the second-worst of his career (he shot .633 from the free throw line in 2019-20). Of the 126 players in the 2022-23 season who scored 800 or more points, Giannis had the sixth-worst free throw percentage (Brooklyn’s Nic Claxton had the worst FT pct. at .541). Giannis had 11 games last season where he shot under .500 from the free throw line. Of players who attempted four or more free throws in a game, Giannis, Claxton, and Steven Adams had the most games where they shot under .500 with 11. Of the 16 games Giannis played last season that the Bucks lost, he missed five or more free throws in seven of those games. In the three playoff losses to Miami that Giannis played, he was 14-for-31 (.452) from the free throw line. He missed 13 free throws in the Bucks’ 2-point loss to Miami in Game 5.
3-Point Shooting. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s .275 3-point shooting percentage was under his career average of .287. Of the 126 players who had 800 or more points last season, Giannis’ .275 3-point percentage was the ninth-worst in the league. Of players who scored 1,500 or more points last season, Giannis’ .275 was the second-worst behind Miami’s Bam Adebayo. In the 16 games the Bucks’ lost that Giannis played in last season, he shot three-for-42 from the 3-point line, .071 percentage. Giannis had 23 games last year where he shot at least one 3-pointer but did not make any. The Bucks were 11-12 in those games. His worst game without a 3-pointer was 0-for-5 in the Bucks’ 41-point loss to Boston on March 30.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.