Whenever Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo steps onto the basketball court, he commands a significant amount of attention from defenses.
With such an authoritative desire to get to the hoop that has often been compared to how a running back tries to blow through linebackers in football, opposing defenses need to double and sometimes triple team the Greek Freak to prevent him from scoring. Typically, this leaves other Bucks open for a good look at a 3-pointer on the perimeter.
Understanding this, the Milwaukee Bucks have always brought in designated shooters to be ready for these open looks during the Antetokounmpo era. This offseason, they added Gary Trent Jr. on a deal in NBA Free Agency, and there's an opportunity for him to be the best player who has ever played this particular role for Milwaukee.
Let's analyze how the Antetokounmpo-Trent partnership could take the Bucks' offense to a new level and fuel a career year for the newcomer.
Past Bucks who have thrived alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo
The three prominent Bucks players who have played this designated floor-spacer role over the past few years are Kyle Korver, Bryn Forbes and Grayson Allen.
During his lone season in Milwaukee in 2019-20, Korver, who was 38, shot 41.8 percent from three. He and Antetokounmpo got along quite well, as Korver shot 25-of-65 (38.5 percent) on his 3-pointers off passes from Antetokounmpo, by far the Milwaukee Bucks player he received the most 3-point looks off passes from, per NBA.com/stats.
The following year, Bryn Forbes shot an astounding 45.2 percent from deep, easily his career-high. Once again, a big portion of his production came in lineups alongside Giannis, shooting 42-of-99 (42.9 percent) off passes from the Greek Freak, by far the most passes and attempts he earned from a single teammate that season.
During his first year in Milwaukee in 2021-22, Allen shot 40.9 percent from distance, which was his career-high to that point. As a starter, he spent plenty of time next to Giannis and capitalized on the abundance of open looks he received, shooting 45.8 percent (49-of-107) off passes from the MVP. Once again, the attempts and makes were the most Allen tallied from a single teammate.
Due to the sheer number of open looks, playing next to Giannis Antetokounmpo is a dream come true for a sharpshooter, and Gary Trent Jr. is likely itching for the opportunity.
Giannis and Gary Trent Jr. will mesh well on the Bucks
There's an argument to be made that at the time of their tenure with the Milwaukee Bucks, Trent is the best player among the four shooters mentioned. For his career, he's shot 38.6 percent from deep on 6.4 attempts per game. Now, he gets to play next to a gravity-commanding player in Giannis who will only help give him more room to operate as a perimeter shooter.
Last season, Trent shot a blistering 117-of-228 "wide-open" 3-point tries. Imagine what he could do on a team that now has Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton. The open looks will be there, and if he sticks close to these three, particularly Antetokounmpo, he's going to get his shots consistently.
This will test defenses nightly, as if they collapse down low and try to stop Antetokounmpo, Trent will be waiting for the kick-out pass to knock down a 3-pointer.
It won't be surprising if the shooting guard puts a new career-high in 3-point percentage this coming season due to his new running mate. Trent is one of the Milwaukee Bucks in line to earn a raise next offseason if he performs well in 2024-25, and this partnership with Giannis will be a significant factor in any success he sees in Milwaukee.
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