Giannis Antetokounmpo has been working tirelessly to add a jump shot to his repertoire and it’s paying dividends. During the Paris Olympics, the Greek center knocked down several jumpers and did not look hesitant to take them as he had in the past. However, Gilbert Arenas has one gripe about the Bucks superstar’s newly developed skill.
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On an episode of the Gil’s Arena podcast, the former NBA star lauded Antetokounmpo for adding a jump shot to his arsenal but noted that he has a major tell. He claimed that the center premeditates his jumpers and defenders could easily read whether he’s about to drive to the rim or line up a shot from a distance. Arenas explained,
“We know you’re going to do a jumper. Because your whole momentum slows down. When you’re driving, you’re in full speed. When you’re not driving, you’re walking into to shoot it. Now, this is going to be the things you’re going to have to work on.”
The retired guard then gave Antetokounmpo sage advice on how to make his jump shot more potent and harder to predict, saying,
“You’re going to have to work on coming full speed like you’re about to drive, back up and pull your jumper from there. So, instead of walking into it to shoot it, you’re going to have to run full speed and then learn how to decelerate to shoot it.”
Arenas also suggested that the two-time MVP should learn to mix up his pace and not operate at max speed at all times. He noted that the Bucks’ superstar would become even more potent if he could get rid of his tell and keep defenses guessing about what he’d do next. The retired star said,
“And then you’re going to have to learn is to come in like this (walking up to the defense) and accelerate so we can’t tell what you’re about to do. If they can read your shot, they’re going to know how to play you.”
Antetokounmpo has been one of the most prolific scorers over the last five seasons. However, he has always lacked a reliable jump shot and resorts to brute force to score his points. But now that he’s willing to take mid-range shots and shoot three-pointers, he could become nearly unstoppable and add a few more individual accolades to his resume.
Teams often clog the paint when the Bucks superstar has the ball in his hand, knowing he’d drive to the rim. However, if he heeds Arenas’ advice, learns to operate at different speeds, and makes his intentions difficult to read, defenses would have no chance of containing the two-time MVP.
