Despite Giannis Antetokounmpo commanding so much attention defensively, the Milwaukee Bucks have largely not been able to capitalize on good passes from him. For years, shooters have thrived alongside the Greek Freak's passes because of how open they are on the perimeter. Yet, this year, Milwaukee's perimeter threats are still looking to find their footing.
Bucks are struggling to capitalize off Giannis' gravity
This season, Bucks players are shooting 31-of-78 (39.7 percent) off passes from Giannis. That might not sound like the worst thing until you realize most of that AJ Green is carrying the success rate on his back, going 10-of-19 (52.6 percent) on triples off Giannis passes. The rest of the Milwaukee Bucks are not in the same stratosphere.
Gary Trent Jr. is at 7-of-19 (36.8 percent). Myles Turner can't buy one right now, going 5-for-17 (29.4 percent). Ryan Rollins, despite his recent emergence, is 3-of-9 (33.3 percent). Cole Anthony is 1-of-4 (25 percent). The list goes on and on. If the Milwaukee Bucks want to get the offense humming, their best bet is knocking down these shots in their 3-point-heavy offense.
Even with these shooting struggles, the Bucks have still been a good perimeter shooting team in the early going. They currently rank fifth in 3-point makes per game and are seventh in percentage. That is all fine, but if they truly want to be among the best of the best, there is room to grow. With how good these looks typically are, it feels like only a matter of time before they start going in.
The player who could truly open the floodgates here is Myles Turner. Advertised as an elite floor-spacer, Turner is shooting just 11-of-33 (33.3 percent) on his "wide-open" triples. Among players to attempt at least 30 such shots, Turner has the fifth-worst success rate in the NBA. Given how much he will be on the floor with Giannis, those good looks won't be going anywhere. He must hit them.
Even with the subpar success rate of his teammates, Giannis is still averaging 6.3 assists per contest this season, a tick below the career-high 6.5 he averaged over the prior two seasons. Once the Bucks start knocking down those shots and giving Giannis his assists, that previous career high should be dead in the water. Then, Milwaukee's offensive production could reach another level.
For now, all they can do is continue confidently firing away from deep.
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