Mike Green says we need to start calling Giannis ‘Steph Antetokounmpo’ because of how well he’s shooting the ball from the free throw line.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the few superstars in the NBA that is not a jack of all trades. There aren’t many that are but Giannis specializes in drives to the lane and drawing fouls while doing so. He may hit the occasional turnaround fadeaway from 11 feet from the basket or even a 3, but this isn’t his strong suit in the slightest.
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One factor of Giannis’s game that has been hindering him for years now has been his free throw shooting. The ‘Greek Freak’ has never been a great shooter from the charity stripe as he shot 63% from the line in the 2019 Playoffs and 58% in the 2020 Playoffs. Fast-forward to the 2021 NBA Finals and he has not yet improved his shot.
However, given the way this NBA Finals has been shaping out, perhaps it is not of the utmost importance for Giannis to shoot 85% from the free throw line. All he needs to do is drain enough free throws to the point where ‘hack-a-Giannis’ cannot come into play.
Mike Breen compares Giannis to Steph Curry.
Game 3 saw Giannis Antetokounmpo have yet another historic Finals performance. He did what merely 6 other players in NBA history have done and that is post up 40+ points, 10+ rebounds, and 5+ assists in a Finals game. To go along with his 14-23 shooting from the field, he also drained 13-17 free throws.
Mike Breen clearly was impressed with the 2x MVP’s free shooting in Game 3 as he hilariously claimed that he needs to be called ‘Steph Antetokounmpo’ from now on. This, of course, is in reference to the fact that Steph Curry shoots a staggering 92% from the charity stripe in the NBA Finals and is overall, one of the greatest free throw shooters of all time.
Mike Breen on Giannis’ improved free throw shooting: “Start calling him Steph Antetokounmpo.” pic.twitter.com/Yy1ygYvUbF
— hoops bot (@hoops_bot) July 12, 2021
Sure, Giannis is not on that level and most likely never will be; but the fact that he’s actively trying to improve his shot is a good sign. It should also be mentioned that the Bucks arena was completely silent during his free throws and this could’ve contributed to a decent night of shooting from the charity stripe.