A longstanding criticism about Giannis Antetokounmpo’s game has been that he struggles to find his footing beyond the restricted area. The two-time NBA MVP’s potential as a franchise superstar has also been questioned due to his strong reliance on the paint to score buckets in a league that is constantly moving farther and farther away from the rim. However, the Milwaukee Bucks superstar has responded to his detractors with a solid mid-range game this season.
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Antetokounmpo’s four mid-range jumpers at Fiserv Forum against the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday put the focus on his game from the perimeter. It turns out, the Greek Freak is doing quite well inside the 20 feet radius.
So far this season, we have seen Giannis hit too many smooth mid-range jumpers, which has been a pleasant surprise. The 29-year-old has been effortless draining turn-around jumpers, fadeaways, and pull-up Js from the top of the key since the start of the season.
Antetokounmpo currently leads the league at Field Goal percentage with a staggering 60.8% of shots converted. Even though the majority of these shots were made inside the painted area, the stats from the 5 to 20 feet range from the basket is pretty impressive as well.
Antetokounmpo has converted 53 out of 110 shot attempts from the 5 feet to 20 feet area, which brings his percentage to 48.18%. He has shot 0-4 from the 20 feet to 24 feet range. So his mid-range percentage is somewhere around 46.4%, which can really be a game-changer number for the Greek superstar if he can sustain it.
Giannis is currently 3rd in the NBA in midrange FGA and he’s shooting 47.8% (wow)
Looks smooth & confident. Early season, but the midrange has been a revelation. Allowing him to conserve some energy & hopefully helps him stay fresh into the playoffs. Love to see vets evolving. pic.twitter.com/PsZR49jpx1
— NBA University (@NBA_University) November 24, 2024
Antetokounmpo is currently leading the scoring chart in the NBA with a staggering 518 points in 16 games, which is about 32.4 points per game. This shows that the eight-time All-Star can more than compensate for his lack of a three-point shot by sustaining a decent mid-range game.
The Bucks are currently afloat with a 8-9 record simply on the back of Antetokounmpo’s elite scoring spree in the past few games. After a terrible start to the season, they are finally finding their footing in the Eastern Conference table with Lillard and Giannis’s tandem starting to look better with every passing game.
The Bucks are sixth in the East, riding the wave of a four-game winning streak. Antetokounmpo’s pick-and-pop game with Lillard is really looking good as the team slowly settles in. Giannis’ passing is also opening up avenues for Bucks players to get open looks.
In other words, the Milwaukee side is slowly looking like the team that it was always expected to be. And Giannis’ excellence from mid-range has been a big part of this resurgence. The 2021 NBA Champion would like to sustain his mid-range game to put to bed the age-old dreary narrative around his shooting woes.
